"On the first day of every week each of youis to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come!" (I Corinthians 16:2)
The apostle Paul finished off last week's lesson on the great chapter of I Corinthians 15 with what basically amounted to an anthem of praise in response to all the truths that he had received (by inspiration!) from God and passed on to the Corinthians--the glorious gospel message of how Jesus Christ "died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and raised the third day, according to the Scriptures"! This, the message "of first importance" which he said he delivered to them, "which they received, and in which they stood, and by which they were saved if they held fast to what he preached to them"! The gospel message of salvation by God's grace and through our faith in Him alone, and the reality of the bodily resurrection of all believers as well one day, at the coming "rapture of the church"!
This portion of Scripture should more appropriately be sung about in a celestial symphony rather preached," notes MacArthur, which in fact is exactly what George Frederic Handel did many years ago when he wrote the beautiful oratorio, the "Messiah"!
"But thanks be to God," the apostle Paul wrote, "who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," and then he goes on to conclude I Corinthians 15 with another great "therefore"! "Therefore, my beloved brethren (because of what Christ has done for us through His work on the cross, and the promise that we too will be raised to live with Him eternally in heavenly bliss)--while we continue to live in this life--"be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord"! Always "abounding" in the work of the Lord! Excelling! Going above and beyond! And he adds, in Colossians 3:23, that "whatever we do," we're to do it "heartily as unto to the Lord, and not unto men"!
That set the tone for Paul's final words in I Corinthians 16, and our lesson Tuesday night, where he addresses a final question raised by the Corinthians, to top off this great epistle--a question about "giving" and, specifically, relating to collections to be taken and offerings to be made for destitute believers in the famine-stricken city of Jerusalem! Seemingly going from the grandiose things of the heavenly to the mundane things of this life! From doctrine to practice! MacArthur notes that "every glimpse we get of future glory is given to encourage us to a deeper sense of our commitment and responsibility for the here and now"! And what better opportunity to "abound in the work of the Lord" than in our commitment to giving to others in need! Following the example of how Christ has "abounded" for us, as illustrated in Ephesians 1:3-8, and elsewhere in Scripture!
Ephesians 1:3-8 says,"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him! In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intentions of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved! In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us! In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth!"
Wow! Is that an example of Chirst's "abounding" for us, or what? Ephesians 5:7 says (and it's worth stating again!),"...In Him we have redemption thorugh His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which he lavished on us"! Wow! I think "lavishing" is even more than "abounding"! And that sets the standard of how we too should "abound" in helping to meet the needs of others!
This is not the first time the apostle Paul touched on "giving"! In verse 1 he notes that he's "directing" the Corinthians on this subject just as he "directed the churches of Galatia"! In Galatians 6:9-10, he wrote, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary! So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith!"!
And how did he direct believers to give? Verse 2 says, "On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come!" On the first day of the week, when Christians gather to worship, in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!" And it's for "each one of them" to do (and that would include us!), and "every week"! "As he may prosper"! Note that he didn't mention tithing, but "as one may prosper," leaving it open! As God would place on one's heart! Based on how much he's been blessed! To be "freely given"! Something between him and the Lord!
Tithing was the Old Testament way of giving! Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, who was a type of Christ (in Genesis 14:20) and Jacob set up a ceremonial pillar, which he named Bethel, and vowed to give back to God a tenth of all that God would bless him with! Some people use that as the basis for teaching tithing in the church age; but under grace our giving, according to Paul, should be "as the Lord has prospered us," and as He places it on our hearts to give! It's between us and God! An opportunity to "abound"!
Interestingly, Deuteronomy 15 speaks of a "sabbatical year" (every seventh year), when Jews would be granted a remission of their debts! There was to be "no poor among them"! And verses 7-8 say that "if there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks"!
Jesus also taught about our obligation to the poor! Remember how He spoke to the rich young ruler who claimed to have kept all the commandments! "If you wish to be complete," He said, "go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come and follow Me!" (And it goes on to say that when the young man heard this, "he went away grieving, because he owned much property!")
This practice and attitude about giving to those in need was carried over into the church, and Acts 2 says that "they shared all they had together, and there was not a needy person among them"!
Verse 3 indicates that the "collections" called for in this passage had to do with contributing funds for destitute believers in the church of Jerusalem, those who were recovering from the famine that had taken place earlier! Acts 8:1-3 says, that "on that day a great persecution began against the church of Jerusalem, and they were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria...and that some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentations over him. But (interestingly) it was partly because of Saul who (earlier in his prior life) "began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and woman and putting them in prison"! (And you wonder if this in some way motivated Paul all the more to somehow make up for all the pain he had helped cause!) Acts 11:27-30 says, "Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch; one of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution to the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders"!
In II Corinthians 9:1-9, Paul says he boasted to the Macedonians about the Corinthians' "readiness and zeal to give a 'bountiful gift' for the needy believers in Jerusalem," and he adds this (in verses 6-9, "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingl, 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! And God is able to make all grace abound (there it is again!) for every good deed..."!
Back to our text, in verses 5-9, where Paul shares more about his plans for ministry! Trusting God for His leading! Jeremy last night called this section, "Doing the Lord's work in the Lord's way"! (Another way of expressing "how to abound" in doing the work of the Lord!) Note how Paul writes (in verse 7-8) about his plans--with Jeremy describing Paul's way of thinking as, "if the Lord permits," and with "vision and flexibility, conmmitted to thoroughness in service, team-building, acceptance of opposition, and exhibiting sensitivity to the Spirit's leading"!
Paul's commitment to service is further illustrated by his commitment to remaining in Ephesus, where he "saw a wide door opened to him," despite the many adversaries that were confronting him! In II Corinthians 1:8-10, he describes his experience there more graphically: " "For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdered excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raised the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us! He on whom we have set our hope! And He will yet deliver us, you also joining us in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many!" Wow! (Notice that the "giving" was much more than merely money!)
And so, what is it that motivated the apostle Paul and that should motivate us as well to "abound in our work for the Lord," while we still have the opportunity in this life?
MacArthur writes, "If we truly believe that we are going to leave this world and that our bodies will one day be transformed and perfectly united with our spirits to live all eternity with God, our concerns should be to lay up treasures in heaven while we are still on earth"! Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!"
Our God is a giving God! He loves to give! And so should we! Our generosity in giving is a demonstration of God's character and also a response to all that He has done for us! Because He is generous, we also are called to be generous! To "abound" in our giving (whether with money or through other ways of service)! And, you know what? We can never even begin to outgive God!
I can't believe how much the Bible has to say about "giving"! (And "abounding"!) Here are just some of the other verses:
Lowell
The apostle Paul finished off last week's lesson on the great chapter of I Corinthians 15 with what basically amounted to an anthem of praise in response to all the truths that he had received (by inspiration!) from God and passed on to the Corinthians--the glorious gospel message of how Jesus Christ "died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and raised the third day, according to the Scriptures"! This, the message "of first importance" which he said he delivered to them, "which they received, and in which they stood, and by which they were saved if they held fast to what he preached to them"! The gospel message of salvation by God's grace and through our faith in Him alone, and the reality of the bodily resurrection of all believers as well one day, at the coming "rapture of the church"!
This portion of Scripture should more appropriately be sung about in a celestial symphony rather preached," notes MacArthur, which in fact is exactly what George Frederic Handel did many years ago when he wrote the beautiful oratorio, the "Messiah"!
"But thanks be to God," the apostle Paul wrote, "who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," and then he goes on to conclude I Corinthians 15 with another great "therefore"! "Therefore, my beloved brethren (because of what Christ has done for us through His work on the cross, and the promise that we too will be raised to live with Him eternally in heavenly bliss)--while we continue to live in this life--"be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord"! Always "abounding" in the work of the Lord! Excelling! Going above and beyond! And he adds, in Colossians 3:23, that "whatever we do," we're to do it "heartily as unto to the Lord, and not unto men"!
That set the tone for Paul's final words in I Corinthians 16, and our lesson Tuesday night, where he addresses a final question raised by the Corinthians, to top off this great epistle--a question about "giving" and, specifically, relating to collections to be taken and offerings to be made for destitute believers in the famine-stricken city of Jerusalem! Seemingly going from the grandiose things of the heavenly to the mundane things of this life! From doctrine to practice! MacArthur notes that "every glimpse we get of future glory is given to encourage us to a deeper sense of our commitment and responsibility for the here and now"! And what better opportunity to "abound in the work of the Lord" than in our commitment to giving to others in need! Following the example of how Christ has "abounded" for us, as illustrated in Ephesians 1:3-8, and elsewhere in Scripture!
Ephesians 1:3-8 says,"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him! In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intentions of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved! In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us! In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth!"
Wow! Is that an example of Chirst's "abounding" for us, or what? Ephesians 5:7 says (and it's worth stating again!),"...In Him we have redemption thorugh His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which he lavished on us"! Wow! I think "lavishing" is even more than "abounding"! And that sets the standard of how we too should "abound" in helping to meet the needs of others!
This is not the first time the apostle Paul touched on "giving"! In verse 1 he notes that he's "directing" the Corinthians on this subject just as he "directed the churches of Galatia"! In Galatians 6:9-10, he wrote, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary! So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith!"!
And how did he direct believers to give? Verse 2 says, "On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come!" On the first day of the week, when Christians gather to worship, in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!" And it's for "each one of them" to do (and that would include us!), and "every week"! "As he may prosper"! Note that he didn't mention tithing, but "as one may prosper," leaving it open! As God would place on one's heart! Based on how much he's been blessed! To be "freely given"! Something between him and the Lord!
Tithing was the Old Testament way of giving! Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, who was a type of Christ (in Genesis 14:20) and Jacob set up a ceremonial pillar, which he named Bethel, and vowed to give back to God a tenth of all that God would bless him with! Some people use that as the basis for teaching tithing in the church age; but under grace our giving, according to Paul, should be "as the Lord has prospered us," and as He places it on our hearts to give! It's between us and God! An opportunity to "abound"!
Interestingly, Deuteronomy 15 speaks of a "sabbatical year" (every seventh year), when Jews would be granted a remission of their debts! There was to be "no poor among them"! And verses 7-8 say that "if there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks"!
Jesus also taught about our obligation to the poor! Remember how He spoke to the rich young ruler who claimed to have kept all the commandments! "If you wish to be complete," He said, "go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come and follow Me!" (And it goes on to say that when the young man heard this, "he went away grieving, because he owned much property!")
This practice and attitude about giving to those in need was carried over into the church, and Acts 2 says that "they shared all they had together, and there was not a needy person among them"!
Verse 3 indicates that the "collections" called for in this passage had to do with contributing funds for destitute believers in the church of Jerusalem, those who were recovering from the famine that had taken place earlier! Acts 8:1-3 says, that "on that day a great persecution began against the church of Jerusalem, and they were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria...and that some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentations over him. But (interestingly) it was partly because of Saul who (earlier in his prior life) "began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and woman and putting them in prison"! (And you wonder if this in some way motivated Paul all the more to somehow make up for all the pain he had helped cause!) Acts 11:27-30 says, "Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch; one of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution to the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders"!
In II Corinthians 9:1-9, Paul says he boasted to the Macedonians about the Corinthians' "readiness and zeal to give a 'bountiful gift' for the needy believers in Jerusalem," and he adds this (in verses 6-9, "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingl, 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! And God is able to make all grace abound (there it is again!) for every good deed..."!
Back to our text, in verses 5-9, where Paul shares more about his plans for ministry! Trusting God for His leading! Jeremy last night called this section, "Doing the Lord's work in the Lord's way"! (Another way of expressing "how to abound" in doing the work of the Lord!) Note how Paul writes (in verse 7-8) about his plans--with Jeremy describing Paul's way of thinking as, "if the Lord permits," and with "vision and flexibility, conmmitted to thoroughness in service, team-building, acceptance of opposition, and exhibiting sensitivity to the Spirit's leading"!
Paul's commitment to service is further illustrated by his commitment to remaining in Ephesus, where he "saw a wide door opened to him," despite the many adversaries that were confronting him! In II Corinthians 1:8-10, he describes his experience there more graphically: " "For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdered excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raised the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us! He on whom we have set our hope! And He will yet deliver us, you also joining us in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many!" Wow! (Notice that the "giving" was much more than merely money!)
And so, what is it that motivated the apostle Paul and that should motivate us as well to "abound in our work for the Lord," while we still have the opportunity in this life?
MacArthur writes, "If we truly believe that we are going to leave this world and that our bodies will one day be transformed and perfectly united with our spirits to live all eternity with God, our concerns should be to lay up treasures in heaven while we are still on earth"! Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!"
Our God is a giving God! He loves to give! And so should we! Our generosity in giving is a demonstration of God's character and also a response to all that He has done for us! Because He is generous, we also are called to be generous! To "abound" in our giving (whether with money or through other ways of service)! And, you know what? We can never even begin to outgive God!
I can't believe how much the Bible has to say about "giving"! (And "abounding"!) Here are just some of the other verses:
- Luke 6:38--"Give, and it will be given unto you! They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return!"
- Acts 20:35--"It is better to give than to receive!"
- II Corinthians 9:8--"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed!"
- John 10:10--Jesus said, "I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly!"
- Psalm 103:8--"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness!" Abounding!
- Luke 12:48--"From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more!"
Lowell
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