2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-15 “AMAZING GRACE GIVING”
A) You may not have put the word, “grace,” and the word, “giving,” together before!
* It may come as a surprise to you that the word, grace and giving, are connected together, but
surprised or not, they are. * We normally think in terms of grace and its salvation aspect.
* We think about saving grace ... We love to sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound ...”
* We understand saving grace ... “For by grace are ye saved, through faith.”
* The grace of God (which is the favor of God), caused Him to send His Son the Lord Jesus Christ
to die on a cross for our sins, though we did not deserve it!
* So we understand that amazing grace is all about saving grace!
B) Sometimes we don’t connect the idea of grace with our daily life!
* But when you study the Bible you will discover that grace not only has to do with saving grace,
but the Bible talks in terms of living grace!
* Paul, in 1 Cor. 15:10 said, “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
* He was saying, not only am I saved by grace, but my very life, my very existence is dependent
upon the grace of God, and anything I am and anything I do .......
* I do it because of the work of God’s grace in and through my life.
C) Our life, as born again believers, is to be an expression of God’s grace in our life!
* James 4:6 says, “He giveth more grace.” * We need saving grace, but we also need living grace! * We have to have God’s grace if we are going to live the way we ought to live and be what we
ought to be on a daily basis. * He giveth more grace, which means daily supplies of grace!
* I heard about a wealthy man who became interested in a poor man and decided he would just
meet his every need.
* Every month the poor man would get a check from the wealthy man that would completely cover
everything that man needed for that month.
* With the check there would be a note that said, “More to follow.”
D) That is exactly the way it is with God’s grace!
* God’s grace saves us, then God gives more grace and makes it possible for us every day to live
and to be what we ought to be.
* Grace is God’s inflow into our life, and then as God’s grace works in and through our life, giving
becomes the outflow of our life.
* In 2 Cor. 8 and 9, he is talking about the whole subject of giving!
* He’s talking about the giving of these believers in Corinth, and he is encouraging them to give.
E) But as you read through these two chapters you will discover that ten times, in those chapters,
he talks to them about grace!
* So he puts God’s amazing grace and the matter of giving of their gifts, to amazing grace giving!
* You will notice in v.7 he says, “As ye abound in everything ...”
* Then he talks about the different things that were characteristic of their life.
* Then he says, “See that ye abound in this grace also.” * He is talking about the matter of giving!
F) Here’s the background of these two chapters as Paul wrote it to the Corinthian believers!
* The believers in Jerusalem were on some hard times.
* So Paul was taking up an offering from the other churches that he might carry that offering and
meet the needs of the believers in Jerusalem.
* The Macedonian churches were very faithful in their giving. * Paul points out that they have
demonstrated God’s grace in their life by their giving.
* He is using them as an encouragement to the people over in Corinth that they also will be faithful
in their giving. * He is talking about amazing grace giving.
* That’s what I want to talk to you about this morning!
* When you look at these verses that we are going to consider, there are three words I want you to
circle or underline in your Bible, which characterize amazing grace giving as I understand it.
(1) THE FIRST WORD IS IN V.2! * It is the word, liberality! * It means, generosity!
* He says in v.2, “abounded unto the riches of their liberality.”
A) Generosity should be a characteristic of our giving! * We should be liberal in our giving!
* He’s talking about the matter of generosity of giving and the whole matter of giving in general.
* Sometimes we don’t like to talk about that.
* I heard about two members who were talking, and one of them said, “The pastor says we should
give until it hurts ... It hurts me just to think about it.” * There are some folks like that!
B) One member said to his pastor, “Pastor, I can give $100 and never feel it.”
* The pastor said, “Well, give $200 and feel it.” * Don’t give until it hurts, give until it feels good!
* He is talking about their generosity and he says in v.4 that they asked for the opportunity to give!
* That’s unusual, isn’t it? * They asked Paul if they could be a part of this fellowship of
ministering to the saints!
* In v.3 he says that they gave beyond their power, beyond their ability, because they were willing
of themselves! * That’s what generous giving is all about ... That’s what liberality is all about!
C) Notice what liberality is NOT and what liberality IS!
* Generosity is not something that comes because of outward circumstances!
* If you will look at the circumstances of these people, their circumstances were certainly not ideal.
* He says in v.2 ... These people were in affliction ... They were having hard times!
* He says they were in deep poverty. * The word, poverty, means to be absolutely destitute.
* It’s a word that was used of a slave who didn’t have anything and he didn’t have any hope of
getting anything!
D) Most of us are not in that circumstance this morning!
* Most of us have a comfortable home to live in ... Most of us have an adequate car to ride.
* Most of us have some decent clothes to wear ... Most of us get two to three good meals a day.
* Most of us are well insured ... We are well fed ... We are well cared for.
* Those are not our circumstances ... But here were some people who were having hard times!
E) So ... Difficult circumstances are not an excuse for people not to give!
* Your circumstances are never an excuse for what you do or do not do in the matter of giving!
* The devil got on my shoulder this week ... Does the devil ever get on your shoulder?
* He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Now, look here .......”
* “You are going to start talking about giving, and the economy is not doing too good.”
F) “This is really a bad time for you to talk about giving.”
* “The stock market is down ... The cost of living is going up ... Layoffs and shortages are going
on ... This is really not a good time for you to be talking about giving.”
* But I have found out that economic times are never the indicator of what people will or will not
give ... It is not something that is based on outward circumstances!
* People who use hard circumstances as an excuse not to give, when there are good times, they will
find another excuse not to give! * You don’t give on the basis of difficult circumstances!
G) Nor do you give merely on the basis of your ability!
* In fact he says in v.3 that “beyond their power (or ability), they were willing of themselves.”
* Generosity is not something that is because of outward circumstances; it is not because of ability
to give, but look at v.5 and you will find the key to generosity! * He says in v.5 .......
* That’s the real key to generosity right there ... Generosity is not based on your financial ability!
* It is based on your spiritual attitude! * Here were some people who were generous in their giving
because they had first given themselves to the Lord!
H) The first gift God wants from any of us is to give ourselves to Him!
* The greatest thing you can ever do is to give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ .......
* And then give Him your talents, and your treasures, give it all to Him!
* When you give money to the Lord Jesus Christ, it will last for all eternity because you are giving
to something that can never die and can never end!
* Matt. 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
I) The first principle of amazing grace giving is generosity!
* When you understand amazing grace, when you understand what God has done for you, then
from your heart there will flow liberality and generosity in your giving! * That’s the first word!
(2) THE SECOND WORD IS IN V.8 ... SINCERITY! * Circle that word sincerity!
* Amazing grace giving is characterized not only by liberality, but also by sincerity!
A) Sincerity means: true or genuine or legitimately born!
* Sincerity, when it is a proof of love, is something which is legitimately born.
* That is, it has legitimate motives and reasons. * Love always demonstrates itself by giving!
* Sometimes if you want an interesting Bible study, just see how many times love and giving are
put together! * John 3:16 says, “For God so LOVED the world that he GAVE his only ...”
* In Gal. 2:20 it says, “To him who LOVED me and GAVE himself for me.”
* In Eph. 5:26 it says, “Christ LOVED the church and GAVE himself for it.”
B) Giving is always a demonstration of the sincerity of our love!
* Having made that statement in v.8, I want you to notice he gives an illustration of the proof of
the sincerity of love in v.9 .......
* The great illustration or example of the sincerity of love demonstrating itself in giving is the
example of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!
* It says, “Though he was rich.” * Think about how rich the Lord Jesus Christ is!
C) He is rich in possessions! * Think about this whole universe.
* Think about every star, every planet, every galaxy, all of it belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
* Turn to Psa. 50:10-12 * Jesus Christ is rich in possessions He owned it all, and still does!
* Not only is He rich in possessions, the Lord Jesus Christ is rich in power.
* Think about His power ... He spoke the world into existence by the power of His creative Word!
* The Bible says (Heb. 1:3) He “upholds all things by the word of His power.”
* Jesus Christ is sustaining things by the word of His power ... He is rich in power.
D) He is not only rich in power, He is rich in position!
* He is sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
* The angels fall down and worship him ... Yes ... He was and is rich!
E) Then notice His poverty ... “Yet for your sakes, He became poor.”
* Think about the poverty Jesus Christ experienced.
* Think how poor Jesus Christ came to be when He came into this world.
* Jesus came all the way from plenty to poverty.
F) This statement, “he became poor” is a statement of His incarnation!
* It is a statement that He left the ivory palaces of glory and He came into this world of ours to live
and to die on a cross for our sins! * It was really a riches to rags story!
* We know about rags to riches stories ... We hear of those from time to time.
* We hear of somebody who started off with nothing and they wound up with everything.
* Jesus Christ started off with everything and wound up with nothing.
G) He came and was born in a cow stall, in a manger!
* Jesus Christ had everything in heaven, and yet, He came to this earth and He had to borrow a
cradle to be born. * He had to borrow a boat to teach His lessons.
* He had to borrow an upper room to gather with His disciples, He had to borrow a donkey to ride!
* He had to borrow a tomb to be buried ... It was a riches to rags story!
* Why was He doing that? * To prove the sincerity of His love.
H) Why did Jesus become poor? * He did it for your sake!
* He became poor for your sake ... He left heaven for your sake.
* He took on Himself the form of a servant! * Why? * To prove the sincerity of His love!
* That is what amazing grace giving is all about ... It proves the sincerity of our love.
* Jesus proved it ... Jesus Christ gave His head for us and they put a crown of thorns on it.
* Jesus Christ gave His hands for us and they drove nails into them.
I) Jesus Christ gave His feet for us and they drove a spike through them!
* Jesus gave His face for us and they plucked His beard until the blood ran down His cheeks.
* Jesus Christ gave His side for us and they jammed a spear into that side.
* Jesus gave His back for us and they beat Him with a whip.
* Jesus Christ gave His heart for us and it bled water and blood as He died on the cross for us!
J) That’s the proof of love! * How sincere is your love for the Lord Jesus Christ?
* Is your love for Jesus Christ real? * Is it true? * Is it sincere?
* The gifts that we give, as individual Christians, prove the sincerity of our love for the Lord Jesus!
* Amazing grace giving! * The first word is the word, liberality or generosity.
* The second word for amazing grace giving is sincerity, to prove the sincerity of your love.
* Our giving proves how much we love the Lord Jesus Christ! * Now, there’s a third word .......
(3) IT IS FOUND IN V.14 – EQUALITY!
* In v.10-15, these Corinthians had made a pledge, a commitment.
* The Corinthian believers had pledged that they were going to give to this offering.
* Frankly, they had not been keeping up with it as well as they should.
* They made their pledge and now Paul says, “It’s time to come through ...You made your pledge
now it’s time to perform.”
A) A lot of people say, “I’m not going to pledge, not me, no sir, don’t come and ask me!”
* It’s an amazing thing to me how people will pledge everywhere else but won’t pledge at church!
* You want to buy a car ... They say, “We’ll let you have this car, but it’s going to cost you this
much and you have to pledge that you will pay so much every month.”
* You say, “Ok, where do I sign? I pledge to do that.”
* Every time you buy something on credit, you pledge to pay for it every month!
B) Then at church, “No way ... You ain’t getting me to pledge.” * Why do people do like that?
* I don’t think it’s because many people are just really stingy and don’t want to give.
* I think there are some folks who say, “I’m just afraid if I pledge I can’t live up to it.”
* “I’m afraid if I make a commitment I just can’t live up to it.”
C) Let me ask you a question ... What kind of God do you have?
* Do you think that God is going to expect you to do something you can’t do?
* Look at what he says in v.12 ... That’s simple enough.
* God says if you have it fine ... If you don’t, then that’s fine.
* God does not expect of us what we cannot do.
* Plainly put, if you don’t have a source of income, you can’t give!
D) Look at v.13 ... That’s the word equality ... That’s the third word that characterizes amazing
grace giving! * The word just simply means fairness.
* Being fair in the matter of our giving ... God wants us to be fair!
* Notice that there is certainly some suggestion here of percentage giving.
* In v.12 he says, “It is accepted according to what a man has.”
* In 1 Cor. 16:2 the Bible says, “Upon the first day of the week, let everyone of you lay by him ...”
* How can giving be fair giving? * He is saying there should be an equality in giving.
E) How can that be? * One person may give a big offering ... Others are on a fixed income!
* Another one has a big executive job ... Another is a common laborer!
* How can we give on an equal basis? * Here’s how ... v.12 says, “according as you have.”
* “Upon the first day of the week, lay by in store, as God has prospered.”
* It seems to me that he is suggesting a percentage ... That’s how there can be an equality in giving.
F) Tithing simply means that you give 1/10th of your income to the Lord’s work to your church!
* If I give a tenth and you give a tenth in terms of a percentage, we are all equal ...
* It is a fair way ... We all equally give if we give on the basis of giving the tithe to the Lord!
* And by the way, you should never give less than that! * It’s called “robbing God!”
G) Closing: Any of God’s people who haven’t been giving according to amazing grace giving?
* It takes us all ... Our giving must be characterized by liberality, generosity.
* It must be characterized by sincerity ... We prove our love by our giving.
* Then it needs to be characterized by equality ... All of us have to do it!
* If you’re here and have never received Christ as your Savior, we’re not interested in your money.
* But I’ll tell you what we are interested in ... We are interested in you giving yourself to the Lord! * The first and greatest gift you’ll ever give to the Lord, is yourself!
* Christian, you do what is right and give to the Lord as He has blessed you!
