A Matter of Generosity — 2 Corinthians 7-9

0:00 Good morning. I decided to bring some props with me today. I don't usually do this, but hopefully you can bear with me. See how that goes. We're gonna be in second Corinthians chapter nine.

0:18 I don't even have the heart to say first Corinthians. I still feel for poor Andy picking. Holy Spirit picked that one and I'm glad for it. So let's let's read that chapter real quick. Second Corinthians chapter nine.

0:36 Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you. 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. 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. Lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting.

1:08 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. Verse six, but this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one of... Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound towards you that you always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.

1:49 As it is written, he has dispersed abroad. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. 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 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

2:21 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. And by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Verse 15, thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. Let's pray. Father, we we commit this time to you.

2:46 Lord, we we pray that those things that of your heart might, be impressed upon the hearts of those listening and those that are just from mine, Lord, might be ignored and and might go away. Lord, we pray that that you might bless our time, help us to focus on your word here, and in always, we hope... We seek to honor you. It's in your son's name we pray. Amen.

3:09 So I've had... I've really had enough... A wonderful time as we work our way through second Corinthians. I don't know about you, but it sort of reminds me in some ways of the the way we went through John, you know, and I think we could see John's heart throughout his gospel and then his epistles and a true testimony of his heart for the people, and and I think this is somewhat what we're hearing here from Paul as he writes to the Corinthians. His heart's on display, and yet and yet he uses restraint in the way he approaches things.

3:43 So let's talk about that a little bit as we go forward. So a couple weeks ago, I understand Chris Schroeder talked about chapter eight, and I didn't get a chance to listen to his message, but the subject is giving. Alright. Specifically giving in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ or, you know, on behalf of God or his work and those kind of things. So I just thought it would be good to maybe have a little object lesson here.

4:17 A A dollar here and one over here. Right? So we're gonna take the first one and I'm gonna give it to somebody. Alright? But I'm gonna give it in return for you giving me something back.

4:33 Who... Who's who's got something you wanna give me for... Okay. There's your first one up. You wanna sell it for a buck there?

4:39 Or you... Which one of you got one? That piece of paper? I think I'd rather go for this here. So there you go, Joey.

4:48 Thank you. My lucky day. I don't even know what they are. A whole dollar. So is that the kind of given we're talking about today?

4:58 I gave him a buck. Didn't didn't didn't I give you that? You were close, Logan. You were close. Gave him a buck, and he gave me something back.

5:08 Is that what we're talking about? No. We're talking about this kind of giving. That's for you. Yeah.

5:17 I was gonna give you a Canadian loony, but Oh, now I'll take it back if that's if that's what you're trying to do for me. So so that's it. In some way, I came to the conclusion that she needed that dollar more than I did today. So, Sherry, thanks for coming. So I had the opportunity to to use you today.

5:42 So... And thanks for playing the piano too. We we appreciate that. Thanks for carrying Scott this morning. He needed it bad.

5:52 So so, you know, somehow, I made a decision that I wanted to give that to her. Now we don't know exactly why. You don't know exactly why, but I do. Right? So so in some ways, I was inspired to give that to her.

6:13 And I prepared ahead of time and planned it, right, to give that dollar away. Hopefully, she feels that I'm generous in doing so. I mean, it's only a buck and it's worth more than a loony, but exercise some faith in doing that as well. Right? I gave it to her thinking that maybe she could use it better than I could.

6:37 And I don't get anything in return, but let's think about this as we go forward. That might not be the case. And I'm convinced that I'll be blessed by doing this. We also have an example in scripture. So those are the things I wanna talk about today.

6:54 Think I'm gonna break down second Corinthians chapter nine on these six variables or these six principles, if you will, that that I kinda scratched out of there. The inspiration of giving, the preparation for giving or of giving, generosity of giving, the faith the faith that is involved in giving, the blessing that's received through giving, and then the reminder that we have of giving. So let's let's just begin by reading verses one and two again here real quick. It says, now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you for I know your willingness about which I boast of you to the Macedonians that Achaia was ready to a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up the majority. So so when I read that, I I I just keep stumbling.

7:52 Okay? There's there's a word in there that I get stuck on. That that first thing, and and I just can't help but stop and take a sidetrack to talk about boasting. Okay? Boast, boasting, boasted, boast.

8:07 It's it's used several times, actually 24 times in my translation, the New King James. The King James translated and other other versions will translate it, some of the the occasions, into words such as glory or glorying, proud, conf... Or proud confidence, and similar words like that. But in in some ways, you know, these things, they all come from the same root, and I'm not even going to try to pronounce the word. It's seven forty four in Strong's Concordance.

8:40 Thanks, Bob, for allowing me to borrow your Strong's this week. It was helpful. And then twenty seven forty five and twenty seven forty six, this idea of boasting or or or to brag or to vaunt. It can be used as a verb, a noun, present, past tense, but it could be used in a good sense or a bad sense. The question in my mind is, is this a good sense or a bad sense?

9:26 Now does that sound like boasting is a good thing? It's not a trick question, is it? Yes or no? It's bad. It's bad.

9:38 Okay. Boasting is bad. So we have nothing to boast about in the sense that we have nothing to boast about from within ourselves. Romans two takes up the same thought, I won't read that, but it's an admonishment to the Jews not to boast in their heritage or having the law because they're missing the point of the gospel, and that is faith in Christ. So boasting in and of itself in that regard is not good.

10:06 But let's look at boasting as Paul's using it here in second Corinthians. Let's flip back to chapter seven for a moment. Chapter seven beginning in verse four says, great is my boldness of speech towards you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort.

10:27 I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts. Inside were fears. Nevertheless, God who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of Titus and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

11:01 So Paul, in this case, is boasting of the Corinthians' behavior. He's saying, you know, I was a little bit concerned, and we'll see this as we go forward, where you were at. But now that I hear this information, I'm I'm I'm glad to hear it. I'm so thankful to hear where you're at. I'm boasting of your position, if you will, in Christ.

11:26 Let's read on... Go down to verse 11. Oh, by the way, he also says he was boasting in their tribulations. Does that make sense to boast in tribulation? It does in the gospel sense.

11:42 So let's read verse 11. Verse 11, for observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner, what diligent it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication, all these things in all these in all things, you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you. Therefore, have been comforted in your comfort and we rejoice exceedingly more for the joy of Titus because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I'm not ashamed.

12:34 But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. He was boasting in their behavior again. They sorrowed in a godly manner, which produced diligence. It also demonstrated a change of change in where they were at or demonstrated where they were in their spiritual journey to Titus. Skip ahead to chapter eight verse 23.

13:07 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. Therefore, show to them. And before the churches the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf. Saying Titus is in the same ballpark with us here.

13:31 We're all playing this game together. I want you to accept him and and and prove to me that my boasting about you was appropriate. And then again, in verse two of chapter nine, we see that he's boasting about their willingness to give. So so the point here is that Paul is seeing evidence. Okay?

14:20 It's happening in the church. And and Paul, upon receiving this information, you could imagine people saying to him, that's not really a church. They didn't really get converted. They're not truly Christians. They they don't know what's going on.

14:37 This is a bad thing, and he responds in two ways. The first thing he does is send letters to the Corinthians. The second thing that we see that he's done is boast on their behalf. Okay? And he's not pounding his chest.

14:53 Okay? He's not saying, look at... I am Paul. Look what I did. He's saying, he's the Lord.

14:59 Look what he did. Okay? They are believers. I know it. I saw it in them.

15:05 I believe that the holy spirit is at work in that body of believers in the church at Corinth. I'm telling you. I know it. I I... I've seen it.

15:18 I'm boasting on behalf of the Lord because the Lord did a work there. I know the Lord did a work there. I'm gonna... I'm telling you, they're gonna come right... I I...

15:28 You can just imagine Paul saying it over and over again. In a sense, it... He's he's boasting of the Lord. What the Lord has done, not what he has done. I think we'll talk a little bit more about that.

15:44 You know, in Acts chapter two, when when the Holy Spirit came, people... They spoke in tongues. Right? It was a miracle. Nobody knew how this could happen.

15:55 Again, in Acts chapter 10, a confirmation of the receive of the holy spirit by the gentiles, where where they did the same thing, and it was another miracle of miracles. Can you believe it? It's not just the Jews, it's the gentiles too. How can we deny this? But then then we see in first Corinthians 14 where Paul says, hold on now.

16:14 Let's not get carried away here. Let... We need some correction regarding this speaking in tongues, and he and he and he did some correction there. But now I think here in second Corinthians, he's saying, I see something else. We can see the evidence of the Holy Spirit in the way that you're acting.

16:34 When you joy in your tribulations, Okay? When you act in ways that don't make sense except for the presence of God within you, that's evidence. That's something that we can say, there's God. I believe he's there. I know he's there.

16:53 And now we see Paul almost shouting it with joy and say, I knew it. I knew it. I told you. They were... The Lord did a work there.

17:04 Look what he did there in Corinth. That's the evidence. I see the evidence today. So Paul continues to laud their behavior, and he's almost... He almost goes over the top with it in the sense that, you know, I I really, really worked you guys over in in the other letters that I wrote to you, but now I really have to build you up because Titus has come back, and he's given us this great news, and and we can really be excited about it.

17:39 He's joyful. I believe he's exuberant, happy. Really can't can't say enough thank you. So it's also my impression as I read through second Corinthians that Paul is emphasizing over and over again this work of the Holy Spirit. Okay?

17:57 The work that's not of Paul. You know, he sent Titus to report back. He didn't go himself. There's something to that. Okay?

18:06 He wrote letters versus charging in and and wielding his his hammer, so to speak. He was humble in letting the Corinthians deal with these matters on their own. And and in a sense, he thought that equipping the saints to handle these things into the future was so important that they needed to to work through it on their own. And that's why I gave them instruction and said, this is what you have to work on. And now he's getting this evidence back that they have worked on it.

18:39 They've they've sorrowed in a godly man... Godly manner. And so the process of them growing through this and the church in itself growing because of the the controversy and strife there was a beautiful thing and wonderful. He didn't want the church there to get wrapped up in himself. I believe that he did not want them to say, well, it only works if Paul's around.

19:05 You know? If only Paul were here to fix this. It's all about Paul's influence. And in a sense, Paul is saying, oh, that ain't it. It's about the influence of God through the the the presence of the holy spirit.

19:24 That's what you need to rely on, not me. So in in many ways, Paul has and will continue as we go forward here, continue to quote unquote boast in in a sarcastic way in some ways or in a facetious way in other ways, or in other ways, he he he shows where he does have reason to boast, but doesn't. He says, if I were, then I would, but I'm not. So it's it's in a sense, he's also downplaying his efforts. Maybe to the to the pinnacle of saying in verse twelve nine and ten, therefore, most gladly, I would rather I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

20:28 If we return to chapter nine, took a little trail there, but I think it leads into where we're headed here in in chapter nine. He talking about the ministering to the saints. That's the gift for the Jewish believers in in Jerusalem. He says, look, it's superfluous. It's repetitive, unnecessary.

20:45 I shouldn't have to... Or I don't really have to say this. You know that I... Hey, I've been boasting of your willingness to give. He's in Philippi talking about the saints in Corinth.

20:55 So when he says, you know, I'm in Macedonia and I'm I'm bragging of you, so to speak, that's Northern Greece. Okay? Macedonia region, Philippi being a city among there. Achaia, the region in Southern Greece, Corinth being a city amongst that region. And and so he's going back and forth.

21:17 When when I talked about this and your zeal, your earnest desire to do this, there was this ulterior, this this other thing that happened. He said he said, others were stirred to give. Okay? Your willingness stirred others to give. So that's our first practical tip here, that enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm.

21:41 Don't be afraid to start something because the Lord might be asking you to start so that others follow. He might be asking you to step out so that others are willing to, and it seems that that's what's happened here. It's not the... For the purpose of self congratulating to say that you are special. It's really to say the Lord is special, and I'm willing to to acknowledge that.

22:05 Verses three to five real quick. Says, yet I've seen the seen... I've sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect. That as I said, you may be ready, Lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting. 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.

22:38 So we we talked about, in a sense, the inspiration of giving. Now we'll talk a little bit about the preparation of giving. So for some reason, this gift did not come. They've been talking about it. They're gonna do it.

22:53 They promised to do it. They had every intention of doing it, but it it just hadn't come yet. So so what what are we to say about that? Do we think Paul is chiding them and and really, you know, giving them a scolding? I don't think so.

23:08 I I think it's more along the lines of, look, look, I know where your heart is. You've demonstrated where your heart is. Now now let's get things in order. Let's prepare this gift. Let's put it together, and let's make sure it represents what's truly in your heart.

23:22 It's sort of like it's sort of like your kids, you know, they got that book report that's due tomorrow. Right? And and and they sit there. How's it coming? Not too good.

23:35 Why not? Well, because it's not done. What have you started? I didn't start. Well, why not?

23:42 Well, I don't know what to write. You know, have you been through that? I've I've been... I had, writer's block or speaker's block here last night thinking, oh, what am I going to say? It happens, but but sometimes we have to take our kids by the hand and say, okay, come on.

23:54 Let's go over here and let's write the first sentence. Right? Let... Let's build the first part of the volcano, and then you can finish. Sometimes it just takes a little help to get it moving and to get it done, and we have to help out.

24:06 And I think that's Paul's point here is saying, listen, I'm sending I've sent Titus and and these others to help you prove what we know is gonna... Is happening. Now what what's the the point of doing this? He says, when I do this, you're gonna be prepared. The Holy Spirit's gonna work in you.

24:26 You're gonna you're gonna wanna give when we put this all together. It's not gonna be a grudging giving. You can imagine if Paul marched in one day and said, hey, I'm here. We're on our way to Jerusalem. I want to take that gift that you promised to give me, and I'm so glad you did.

24:43 And they go, oh, you're right. And and they're all, well, hold on. You know, let's see what I got, you know, or or, oh, man, didn't you say it, but not me. I don't know. It's it's...

24:57 Okay. I'll give you what I got, you know. It's it's sort of a grudgingness, unwillingness to say, I'm not ready. I I haven't really worked it through in my mind. I haven't prepared.

25:10 It's not prepared, and and therefore, it's it's forced. It's pushed. And and by preparing properly, we get the opportunity to let the holy spirit work in a large way, and then he can help put things together better. You know, if we were to have a practical tip in this regard, I think one of the things that we ask for people to donate a lot is time, and we have to be careful about asking people for their time at the last minute. Oh, hey, we're right here.

25:44 Can you do this? How about, you know what? In two weeks, I'm gonna be ready, and can you... And and I think we get more when we prepare ahead of time. So preparing of giving.

26:31 So we all understand this. Right? It's not hard. If you're planting, you are planting for the purpose of getting a harvest. Right?

26:39 If you plant one cabbage plant, you're gonna get one cabbage. Right. Very good. We'll get there. If you if you plant one apple tree, you're going to get one bushel of apples.

26:54 Right? It's just the way it is. If you plant 10 cabbages or field of cabbages, now you've got a career. Right? You can you can sell them and that kind of thing.

27:02 So the only thing that doesn't work... Or that doesn't hold true in, it doesn't matter if you plant one zucchini plant or 10 zucchini plants, you end up with too many zucchinis. Okay? It's just the way it is. Something about those things.

27:16 They just... The same holds true when we're giving. When we give a little, we get a little. When we give a lot, a lot comes back. Okay?

27:29 It's amazing how the Lord can handle our gifts when we are willing to give them, not grudgingly or out of necessity, but willingly. So these... This this quote here in in verse nine is from Psalm one twelve, and we don't have time to read it right now, but it talks of a righteous man, and how he has dispersed his his, giving abroad. He's helped those in need. He is he's gonna be rewarded for that too.

28:04 His righteousness will be remembered, and it will endure forever. So the more you give, the more that comes back. So the practical tip here that he mentions is that there's abundance for every good work. You know, why don't we give generously sometimes? Because we're not sure there's gonna be enough left over.

28:30 Right? We'll talk about that a little bit more in advance. I don't... If I give this time, I'm not sure I'll have that time. But the Lord says, there will be an abundance for every good work.

28:40 What he sets your hand to do, what he's burdened for you to accomplish, he will give you the abundance to handle that work. What he has set for your hand to do and what he's asked for you to accomplish, he's gonna enable. He's gonna provide for. He's not saying you have to not take care of your needs, he's saying he's giving you an abundance to handle what he is that he's burdened your heart for. Oh, we can rely on that.

29:15 Let's talk about faith. Verses ten and eleven. 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 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. Fall is my favorite season. We're coming up to fall.

29:39 Right? But summer really has its merits. You know, in June, there's strawberry season. I can't pass up strawberry shortcake. I'm sorry.

29:51 I I love it. And and then and then comes the cherries in, you know, like, late June, early July. Somewhere in there, the cherries show up, and cherry pie is my favorite. And and my son makes it, so I'm really thankful when he does. But you know what?

30:07 End of July, early August, something else comes around. Right? Corn season. Right? Sweet corn.

30:16 And, know, this sweet corn here, you know where it's from? It's from a stalk just down the road from where we live. Right? And and we know how to do this. Debbie, I apologize in advance.

30:27 Wayne, I know that you sweep here, I apologize if I make a mess. So there it is. That's corn. Now has... How many of you have ever planted corn?

30:38 Oh, I shouldn't have pulled it off. Now I really made a mess. So how how how many of you ever planted corn? Okay. You planted corn, and what do you plant?

30:50 Do you plant one of these? What do you plant? One of these. Right? One of these little kernels is what you plant, and then it grows a big stock and and and I'm told that each kernel that you can plant has the opportunity to grow one stock.

31:10 Okay? And and it could have one probably two ears on that stalk. Okay? You follow me? So we got one kernel, one stalk, two ears.

31:22 Okay? Two ears with... I didn't count them. Do you want to count them? How many?

31:28 No. Okay. Two ears, 16 rows of kernels I'm told on a normal corn or cob, and 600 to 800 kernels on a single kernel, a single cob or ear cob. I guess if I eat it, it's a cob if it's an ear, if it's not, but... Okay.

31:47 Move on, Denzel. The point is we planted one kernel. We got two of these. That's like 1,200 to 16... 1,000 times the increase.

32:07 Wrong. Put down the fertilizer? No. You have to not eat the kernel. You don't have one to plant.

32:17 No reason to dig the hole. Right? Thanks, Bob. I didn't even ask him ahead of time. So so my...

32:24 Let's move. You gotta not put the kernel in your mouth. Right? It has to go in the ground. And when you're hungry and you're deciding, I only have this much left to eat, what do we do with some of that corn?

32:39 You have to set it off to the side. Now, is a really interesting aside, I see Jacob in here, but if you really want an interesting conversation, ask him about the seed bank. Okay? And whether or not we should put seeds aside and all that, he debated this once, And and then and also, whether or not, who owns the seeds that actually go in the ground. It's a real interesting conversation.

33:01 If you want to talk about government and stuff, you should talk to him about it, but corn has to go in the ground in order to be... But look what happens when you put it in the ground. It comes back with abundance. So we have to have faith, folks. Do you believe?

33:20 Do you believe that when you put that one kernel in the ground, it's gonna come back with 1,600 times what you what you put in there? We do because we've seen it happen before. But sometimes, we have to be reminded of it. When we give away our time and our money, the Lord has the ability to multiply it many times over. Okay?

33:48 Which is a great segue to verses 12 to 14. For the administrative of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God. All 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, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. So what did that gift provide? The gift that's going to Jerusalem provided what?

34:27 They're gonna take money or... I don't know exactly what what he took, but it was probably something they could carry, some... I would imagine coinage of some sort, maybe some food. I don't know. But they really needed it in Jerusalem, my understanding.

34:40 Okay? So so first and foremost, it supplied what? Their immediate need. It's it's sustained them. Okay?

34:51 Either provided food or it provided shelter or maybe some transport. I don't know. Maybe some medical aid. Whatever it took... Whatever it did, it provided that immediate need.

35:10 And can imagine it was a miraculous answer. Paul's talking about the the Corinthians having known about this and having purpose to do it for over a year. And we know Paul didn't go straight from there to Jerusalem. Right? Whenever it got there, they had been needing, they had a need for over a year, I gotta imagine.

35:32 A long time. Imagine that they're saying, we need, Lord, please. And then in comes this gift. It's a miraculous one. Unbelievable.

35:42 Where did it come from? From who? The Corinthians? You mean those Gentiles over there? Those people that we've had conflict with even back in Acts chapter six?

35:54 The ones that speak differently than us? The ones that those guys? And and and from Philippi and from... They're concerned about us? That's impactful.

36:31 Lord, we've been praying for it. Thank you, Lord. Those that receive the gift. It glorifies God through the proof of your confession, through obedience he says, you obeyed and because you obeyed, these folks that are receiving it are saying, thank God you're a big God. If you can do that, if you can transfer the gift from here all the way over to here and and make it for me, you are special.

37:03 I glorify you Lord. It glorifies the Lord. And it also results in prayers for the giver. So see that circle. Holy Spirit says, hey, you gotta help out these folks in Jerusalem.

37:22 We wanna do that. They get it. They say, thank you, Lord. We glorify you, Lord. Will you help out those folks in Corinth?

37:33 They're praying for them. It's like this big circle. You gave and you got in a in a in a circle that only the Lord... That's a circle that only he can organize and bring to bear. So the bet the benefits were far and above, and are far and above that hour of your time or that dollar out of your pocket.

37:59 And believe me, it'll come back to you. I can give you a testimony in my case. I might not make it through this, so I apologize. As being one who's been in Jerusalem recently and and having had the fire in our house, and we're okay. We are okay.

38:15 But you, the body of Christ, and not just the one sitting in these four walls, but beyond have been a tremendous encouragement to us. We have received beyond our expectations, desires, hopes, or imaginations. We received a home to stay in, cash for our needs. We were fed for more than a month when we didn't have time to cook for ourselves. That sounds simple.

38:51 I apologize. That sounds simple, but we didn't know which way we were going and when we were going to get there. But at 05:30 or 04:00 or 06:00, somebody pulled up in the driveway and said, here, this is going to feed you not for this meal but for probably two or three more. We had leftovers. Some of those people actually came and said, you know what, we'd like to stick around and help you eat it, and we said, thank you.

39:26 We need some fellowship right now. Can we talk about something other than how our house smells and where our clothes are at and everything else? I would never be able to thank all of you in person or all those outside of of this these walls in the body of Christ that have helped, And I'm sorry for those of you who've heard this story before. I apologize for repeating it, but thank you very much. I can assure you that I understand a statement that I heard more recently much better now.

39:58 I heard a guy by the name of Mark Whitaker, if you wanna, Google him sometime, Mark Whitaker ADM. He's a believer, but, he he he made a comment after all that he went through, and it's huge and big and it was in the news, all that kind of stuff. But he said, you know what? I've gone beyond faith. I've now gone beyond faith.

40:24 And I'm thinking, what's beyond faith? Faith is everything. Right? He said, I've gone beyond faith to evidence. He said, know there's a God based on what's happened here and I think that's what Paul's saying.

40:36 I know there's a God and I know he's in you those people in Corinth because I see evidence of it. I can say that too. I know there's a God. I know he loves me and I see evidence in you. Thank you.

40:54 So, the result is that they glorify God through our gifts. We have a reminder, verse 15. Says, thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. I think Paul gets to the end of this and said, how can I pass up what I know to be so true that the best gift, the biggest gift, the gift of all gifts that is indescribable was given to us? The Lord was inspired to give to us.

41:33 He loved us so much. He couldn't stand but to provide for our salvation. He was prepared to give it. He measured the cost, he made a plan, it was executed over a long period of time with many proofs at exactly the right time. It was preparation in the giving.

41:56 He was generous. We've been given much more than we could ask for, certainly more than we've earned, and a lot more than we deserved. Generous. In some ways, he had faith too. He has faith in us in some sense.

42:16 We're worth it. He made a promise and he stuck to it. He's preparing a bride for his son to receive someday in the future, and we can be part of that. At faith, he has faith in us. I don't understand that.

42:34 And the blessing is beyond compare. He took care of our immediate needs, our salvation, which we thank him for. We can also see him fulfilling his promises on many, many fronts. So that we say, thank you Lord for providing that. You are an amazing God if you can accomplish that.

42:57 And you know what? Let me pray for somebody else so they can experience this. What a continuous improvement loop we've been given there, to remember that and to see the bounty with which he blesses us. So just to wrap it up here, for you and me, importantly today, the Lord may inspire you to give, whatever it might be. And that inspiration may be used to inspire others.

43:46 Consider your efforts ahead of time. Be generous. Be generous. The Lord will provide what he needs in abundance or what you need in abundance for what you can give to accomplish the goals that he has before you. Have faith.

44:08 You can give it away, and he'll bring it back 16 hundredfold, it's okay. The gift goes well beyond immediate needs. It glorifies God and causes prayers for others, and it's an unbelievable effort that one gift can give. Finally, be reminded of the greatest gift of all. He was inspired because he loved us.

44:41 He's prepared and put a plan over time together, generous beyond our imagination, fulfilling us... Filling fulfilling his promises to each one of us, his faith, and has value in each one of us. And the blessings will abound over and over as we remember that. Let's pray. Father, we're grateful that you've sought us out.

45:12 You see fit to provide for us in so many ways, and you find so many ways to remind us of that, Lord. We we pray that that we might see them, that we might not miss them, that we might see who has been providing for us, Lord, and it's you. Oh, we're thankful for it. You're a great God that can accomplish things that nobody else can. If if you can change my heart in a way that is different, in a way that puts me second and you first, even for a moment, Lord.

45:47 It's an accomplishment that only you could make. We thank you, Lord, for so much. We thank you for this opportunity to study your word, for the inspiration it gives us, for the opportunity it it provides. We pray these things in your son's name. Amen.