Does the name Jacob Waltz ring a bell? It might if you are an Arizonan history buff. Waltz was a German immigrant back in the late 1800s who is most commonly referred to as the “Dutchman.” He is the miner who supposedly found a treasure trove of gold in the Superstition Mountains southeast of Phoenix. The story goes that Waltz found an infamous Apache gold stash in the mountains, but was ambushed by the Apaches. He was able to escape, and survives long enough to tell a man named Dr. Walker about it and draw a map to the mine’s location for a woman named Julia. The mine, in it’s description, has never been found, though people have said they believe they have found it. However, the search continues, with about 9,000 people a year trying their luck to find the Dutchman’s mine.
My Dad told me a story of how his friend and him went to the Superstition Mountains when they were younger. My Dad is a history buff and loves southwestern history so he wanted to find this piece of it. When they arrived to try their luck, they met a ranger in the area; he asked them what they were up to and they told him about their excursion. The ranger let them know that there were people in the hills that were also looking and would shoot them to make sure they wouldn’t get the gold. That ended my Dad’s desire to look for the mine.
There are tales all over the world, of lost hordes of treasure, and mines that contain vast amounts of gold. And treasure seekers abound in looking for them. Some to be a part of the history, some just for the gold. It excites both the young and the old to adventure.
And it’s this idea of treasure that brings us back to our summer series in 2nd Corinthians, where we’ll be picking it back up in chapter 9, starting in verse 6. And as we open up to 2nd Corinthians 9:6, let’s look at the how we got here.
Just looking at the two last weeks, we have been looking at Paul’s work on trying to move the Corinthians forward in their faith. In the last two weeks we’ve seen him use a monetary collection that was being taken up by several Gentile churches to help out believers in Jerusalem, as a means to move the Corinthians forward in their faith. Paul uses the idea of giving to help the Corinthians realize that giving of resources isn’t about the gift, but rather has both a theological and a character aspect to it.
The theological aspect of giving, is rooted in God’s love for us, through the work of Jesus’ incarnation. Giving begins with what has been give to us in salvation. If we don’t start there, then we end up giving out of a religious mindset of rules and regulations and not out of desire to love God and love people.
The second aspect of giving, is to have faithful character, where giving becomes an extension of that character in physical means. If giving is done out of a theological desire to love God and love people, because we have been loved by God, then we are seeking to be faithful to God with the resources he has given us. When we give out of a desire to be faithful, then God is pleased, even with the smallest of gifts. In the end, it isn’t the greatness of the gift that matters but rather a life yielded to God.
With these two aspects in mind, we can then read Paul’s cheerful giver passage, where he tells us about the purpose of giving. Let’s read together.
“6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’
“10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
When the theological and the faithful character of a person is established, then we move into a place of the actual giving of resources. In the case that Paul is using as his example, it is a monetary collection, but this could easily be talked about in terms of things like time and physicality.
Notice, though that the amount isn’t the focus, rather it’s the gift that’s important, which has been the theme this entire time. Paul uses agricultural language here in the reaping and sowing to help us with this concept. Like a farmer who only plants a little, only a little will be harvested. You can’t plant a backyard garden of corn and expect 50 acres to be harvested. So it is with our giving. Therefore, we need to take that into account. If I want to see more blessings of God, than my giving needs to match that.
Now, we need to put a pause on that, because this is where people get off track. When talking about sowing and reaping, planting and harvesting where giving is concerned, false teachers will often go off the rails and tell people, “You need to give more money to me, so that God will give more money to you.” That’s not what is being said. Remember it’s not the money that’s important, it’s the theological gift of God, producing faithfulness in his people. Let’s be clear, more giving of money does not equal God giving us more money.
Notice what Paul says in verse 7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” If it was about money, then yes, it would be a more equals more equation, but its not. It’s a relationship based giving. We are called to spend time with God and come to a conclusion of cheerful giving.
It might look like this: I sit before the Lord seeking what he would have me give, our example is monetarily. My bills and obligations are strewn about, and I ask, “Lord I want to give as you have given to me, this is what I think I can give, what I’m comfortable in giving, but I want it to be yours, guide and direct me.”
For some, that might look like 1%, some might be 10%, others, 20%. To the window we talked about last week, it was 100%. We’re not talking about set numbers, we’re talking about a relational number. The reason why we talk about 10%, is because it’s an Old Testament number, that groups, like Crown Financial Ministries, have found, is a good place to start, because it helps us better regulate the rest of our finances. Starting with 10% off the top is a first fruit way of giving, which proceeds the law in the case of Cain and Abel. But for our purposes as believers, we need to press into God for what that looks like for us. Remember it’s not about the amount, 10% or something else, it’s about the faithful character of the believer from a theological place. The cheerfulness of the gift is more important than the monetary amount.
But Paul, starting in verse 8, wants to make sure our eyes on the proper person. Remember all this stems from Jesus’ gift. So Paul points us to God’s grace when we give. If we’re concerned with the amount, every 1/8 of a penny is going to be hard to give up to God. But if we realize that God is seeking our cheerful giving, and at the same he desires to work through that giving with his grace yo bring about blessing, then every penny is God’s and we begin to see our finances in light of his work.
So Paul quotes from Psalm 112:9, and talks about God’s giving. In theological terms, we talk about giving of God’s common grace, meaning that God gives grace to everything in some manner. If a person gets up this morning, doesn’t matter who they are, there is an element of grace. If you can take a breath, and then another one, there is an element of grace. This is the great distribution of God’s grace, and is found in it’s greatest version in the grace offering of salvation to a person.
Finally, Paul moves into God’s specific care for us. In verses 10-12, we see Paul’s mirroring of Jesus’ words from Matthew 6:25-33, where Jesus states, “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
For us, giving out of our limited resources can be nerve wrecking. It takes time for us to slowly give and see that God is faithful. Yet we can’t think of terms of 1-to-1 return, or even interest on our return. Paul seeks to squash that mentality with phrases like, “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way… For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”
Our return may never be monetary. Instead, it might be a teen hearing the Gospel. It might be, an alcoholic breaking free. It might be a visit in a hospital, or a widow with a new AC. Our giving might never put an 1/8 of a penny back into our pockets, but it will advance the kingdom of God and our brothers and sisters being taking care of.
And it’s the kingdom of God, that Paul brings this section back around to. The final words of Paul in this second section, where he is trying to move the Corinthians forward in there faith and is focused on their confession of the Gospel, Paul’s final line is both a prayer for God’s grace upon them, and exclamation of worship for what God has already done.
God is calling us, not to amounts of giving, but with the results of giving in mind. My gift, no matter how big or how small, when given out of a cheerful desire to respond to God’s gift of salvation, is used to advance the work of the Gospel; that people would come to know Jesus, and that they would have eternal life. That 2/8 of a penny the poor widow gave, is talked about as a mighty gift that echoes down through almost 2,000 years of Christian ministry. Why? Because she gave faithfully to God and he took that to bless others.
So instead of looking at our giving as, “what must I give in my religious duty,” we must look at it as, “God who will come to know you through this gift?”
God gives salvation, we faithfully respond to that gift, by viewing our gifts in the light of another’s salvation. That is why we ask the question every so often here, “How much money is one soul coming to know Jesus worth?” The answer is, there is no amount. If all that we do here brings one person to the Lord, then every 1/8 of a penny was worth it. And yet, in the 40 years of this ministry, countless lives of been impacted, countless people of heard the Gospel, and countless souls from this small gathering believers will stand before the Lord of glory ready to enter into eternal life.
My challenge then for you this week, is to take the little half sheet paper in your bulletin that is divided into Monetary, Time, Physical, and write down all your expenses in the Monetary section, and the things that take of time, like TV and Phones and put them into the Time section, and all the activities that you do and list them in the Physical section. Then go before the Lord this week and and speak to him about what is being used for his kingdom and what isn’t. What is there because you like it, but doesn’t need to be. What can be excluded so you can give more to God’s work, and what needs to be held on to.
And if you’re thinking I mean, what more can I give to the church, you’ve missed the train. We’re talking abut kingdom work here. I’m not interested in trying to get anyone to give, here, but rather die to where God intends people to give. That money might need to go to a missionary God is calling you to, or another ministry that’s not this one. Your time, might be spent in God’s word more. Your physical might be in serving at a soup kitchen. It’s not about this small church ministry, it’s about the greater kingdom work that is before all of us.
But all of us needs to go before the Lord and have his desire become our own, that we may become cheerful in giving from all areas of our lives. If we get to that point, then we will see the work of God all around us, and we will rejoice ever greater on that day when we stand before the throne and our treasure of people saved will be shown to us.
Let us be a people who seek that treasure in heaven, rather than the treasures of earth. Amen.
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