2 Corinthians 8
Generosity Encouraged
1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:1–9

A number of years ago, the world of North American evangelical Christianity seemed to be captivated with the letters WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? It was a question first popularized more than a century ago in the 1896 book, In His Steps, written by a Congregationalist Minister, Charles Sheldon. Of course, when hucksters and promoters took hold of the question, they turned it into a cliché by marketing it on everything from bumper stickers to bracelets. The environmental movement got involved with an anti large car campaign with the tag line, What Would Jesus Drive?
Despite the cliché status of WWJD, the fact remains, spiritual formation for the Christian is all about the process of what Paul says is Christ being formed in us (Galatians 4:19). If this is so then it is vital for us to ask questions about the sort of person Jesus was. Let me explain what I mean. Years ago, when I was one of the young pastors in our Baptist family, I was asked to conduct a seminar at a gathering of young adults held at Trent University in Peterborough. The topic given was “The Person of Christ.” The title I gave my talk was “God with a face like yours and mine.”
I have an appreciation for what artists through the centuries have been trying to say about Jesus when they picture his head surrounded by a halo. The folks that shared the dusty roads of Palestine and the hot crowded streets of Jerusalem with Jesus saw no such augmentation. When it was hot, Jesus perspired. When it was cold, he shivered. When a joke was played, he laughed. When his heart ached, he cried. It was, remember, his earliest followers who applied the words of the prophet to him…he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him (Isaiah 53:2b). But we believe that he was God in the flesh.
God with a face like yours and mine, that’s who Jesus was. We study then the sort of person he was and the things he said and did, so that as Paul said, we might come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). If this is our goal, and I am convinced to have a lesser goal is to be satisfied with a third-rate faith hardly worth the bother, then we must look at the fact that Jesus was someone who gave. Paul asks us to do that by what he says to the Christians at Corinth.
An offering for the destitute Christians in Jerusalem was being received by Gentile Christians. Paul had organized the offering and it was getting close for his visit to Corinth to receive their offering. Word had come to him that the Corinthian believers were not as enthusiastic about receiving the offering as in the beginning.
How did Paul intend to motivate these saints at Corinth to continue their weekly collection for the poor Christians at Jerusalem? He encouraged them by using the Macedonian believers as an example to follow. He stated that the Christians in Macedonia, who lived in poverty, had given much more than he had expected. What characterized their giving?
1. First, they gave sacrificially. (2, 3)
Even though they were experiencing poverty they gave beyond their ability. Paul may have been surprised at their level of giving.
2. Second, they gave joyfully. (2)
Even in poverty they discovered the joy of giving.
3. Third, they gave voluntarily. (3)
They gave from a willing heart, not because they were shamed into it.
4. Fourth, they gave persistently. (4)
They would not take “no” for an answer or make excuses for the amount they had to give.
5. Finally, they gave of themselves. (5)
They gave of themselves first to the Lord. When a person does this, they don’t have to worry about the amount given.
This is the example that Paul sets before the believers at Corinth. They ought to go and do likewise. The affluent saints at Corinth should give generously to help the poor in Jerusalem. Believing that the Corinthian Christians needed more encouragement, he writes to them and shares that Jesus is the greatest giver known. His example was the highest example that Paul could use to encourage and motivate them to give. Notice what Paul shares about Jesus as the greatest giver ever known.
1. First, Jesus possessed unlimited wealth. He was rich (9).
The term “rich” leads us to think of material worth. We understand right away that Paul is not talking about a financial statement or the personal net worth of Jesus. His wealth is not measured in dollars, or how much property He owns. From eternity Jesus Christ was true God and possessed the fullness of Godhood. He was God Almighty, through whom the universe was made and who upholds all things by His power. He existed from eternity as the second person of the Trinity.
We often read of the rich and famous and it is difficult for us to imagine what it would be like to have that kind of wealth. But the wealthy people in the world pale in comparison to Jesus. His riches are beyond our comprehension! That wealth had been His from all eternity and there was not a time when He was not rich as God is rich.
2. Second, Jesus experienced unparalleled poverty. He became poor. (9)
Jesus gave it all away! When he became a person he laid aside all his Godly glory. He was not born in a palace. His crib was a manger, and he was wrapped in swaddling cloths. His parents were poor, and when it came time for Mary and Joseph to present a sacrifice required by the law for the firstborn son, they could afford nothing more than two young pigeons. He lived a life of poverty and never owned property. In fact Jesus depended upon family and friends for food and shelter.
He died on a criminal’s cross in order to save us. Philippians 2:5-8 shares that Jesus laid aside His glory and subjected Himself to radical poverty. By the standards of His day He was very poor.
3. Third, Jesus laid aside his Godly glory to make believers rich. He was not rich in money, but rich in joy, liberality, and love. It is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that we have salvation and eternal life.
It is the grace of God that turns selfish people into joyful givers. Paul tell us that Jesus takes away our selfishness and makes us generous and joyful givers. The world would have us to believe that giving less, and keeping more for ourselves, will make us happier and more fulfilled. God’s purpose in sending Jesus is to save us and to create joyful, loving and generous givers. If this is true, the more generous we are, the more happy and fulfilled we will be, because when we give we are the most like God.
But verse six of our text does not mean that if we give to God we will get rich. The Macedonian believers were model givers, but they lived in poverty. They had learned that you cannot out-give God. Giving should be proof of God’s love in our life.
Paul encouraged the Corinthian believers to give a generous offering because he believed they really wanted to do it. The response to the sacrifice of Jesus is to give generously. He does not compel them to give, but suggests that they will give in response to what Jesus has done for them.
The Corinthian believers maintained that they loved the Lord. Paul says there is a way to prove your love. The love of Jesus for them should receive some echo in their love for Him. God has proven His love for them in that Jesus who was rich became poor in order that they might become rich.
What will be their response to God? Paul does not command them to give to help the poor saints in Jerusalem, but encourages them to express their gratitude for what Jesus had done by giving a worthy offering. He reminds them that they are now rich and not poor. As children of God they need not fear for tomorrow because God will take care of them.
It comes down to this concerning the motive for giving. Because God has shown great grace in giving his Son for our salvation, we should respond with generosity. The good news is that God gives us grace to make His people willing to give. His grace should help us realize that the opportunity to give is a privilege not a burden! Because God the Son has given so much, the least we can do is to give cheerfully and freely.
Let me finish up today’s sermon by offering five more insights about the “giving” character of our Saviour. He is truly the greatest giver. He is— 
• Generous (John 10:14, 15)
• Unconstrained (John 10:17, 18)
• Loving (John 3:16)
• Personal (Matthew 26:26–28)
Beneficial (John 19:30)
Let me confess: this is hard work. Earlier this month I was at a Shopper’s Drug Mart in Markham and as I paid for my items was asked if I would like to contribute $1 to the local hospital. I said “no” rationalizing that I make a contribution to health care in this province every time GST and PST is added to my purchases. But, here’s the thing. Whether I am right or wrong about that, if Christ is being formed in me, then day by day, little by little, I am becoming a better giver. It cannot be otherwise, because Jesus is the greatest giver of all.

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