INTRODUCTION

There is a young family in our church that I want to tell you about. When this couple first arrived at Citylight several years ago, they were young in their faith. So, if you’re brand new to Christianity or even just checking out the Christian faith, you’ve come to the right place and we’re really glad that you’re here. Over the years since this couple arrived at Citylight, Andrea and I have had the joy of watching their love for Christ, their trust in God’s word, and their joy in the gospel grow and grow. They’re vital leaders in the life of our church now. With their permission, I can also tell you that for over a year, they’ve been trying to conceive and have a baby, but have been struggling with infertility. During the past year as they’ve been trying to get pregnant, they saved thousands of dollars for the initial cost of bringing a new baby into their home. A couple weeks ago at Advance Commitment Night, when many of the Citylight leaders including Andrea and I made our financial commitments to Reach, this couple, as part of their Reach commitment, committed to give the entirety of their baby fund to Reach. I can’t get over that. They long to have a baby, but in this great act of faith they’re giving the money they had saved for a baby, trusting the Lord with the desire of their heart.  They gave themselves first to the Lord and then overflowed with generosity that the world would call illogical. I am so thankful to God for this family’s generosity. And it’s not about the money. It’s about the heart of faith and devotion that prompts such generosity. Their giving has caused me to give thanks to God!

Friends – that’s what our generosity does! Our giving does more than provide for needs. Our giving causes others to give glory to God!  2 Corinthians 9:11-12 – You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 

These verses bring me to the final big idea and encouragement from God’s word before we make our Reach commitments: Give so that others will give thanks to God. How does that work? 1. Your giving supplies needs 2. Your giving supplies more than needs 3. Your giving is His gift.

YOUR GIVING SUPPLIES NEEDS

The Apostle Paul begins our passage with a verse that may shock you. So, I want to put a quick parenthesis here, read the verse, and explain it briefly before we get to the heart of the passage. 2 Corinthians 9:11a – You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way…Paul begins our passage with a promise that is common throughout the Bible: The Lord enriches the generous so that they can be even more generous. Some of us really struggle with this promise because it sounds like the so-called prosperity gospel. At first glance, it looks like this verse is promising that if we give generously, we’ll get rich – full stop. Instinctively we know that can’t be true. Instinctively we know that God does not motivate generosity by appealing to selfishness. And since we know this, I fear that some of us have actually gone to another unbiblical extreme. And that extreme is ignoring the promise that God actually makes throughout the Bible and in this verse: to enrich the generous so that they can be generous in every way. Friends – God does motivate us to be generous by promising to enrich the generous so that they can be generous in every way. You can’t out give God. Please don’t so overreact to the so-called prosperity gospel that you miss the wonderful promise that God is making to you. God promises that everyone who gives generously in Christ’s name will be enriched to be generous in every way. How wonderful! What a relief! God’s promise frees us to give so generously that others will give thanks to God because we’ll always have enough to keep being generous. Tony Evans commenting on this promise writes, “When God’s kingdom is given priority in your life, you open yourself to waves of grace that are bigger than your gift.” Parenthesis closed. 

Give so that others will give thanks to God. The first way that works is that your giving supplies needs. 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 – You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.  Let’s follow Paul’s logic. The Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians that their financial generosity toward the suffering saints in Jerusalem supplies more than needs, but it certainly does not supply less than needs. When the Corinthians give generously to the financial collection for the suffering Christians in Jerusalem, the suffering Christians will have their needs met. And the result will be that God will get thanks and praise. The poor Christians in Jerusalem will erupt with thanksgiving to God for food, shelter, clothing, and more. Give so that others will give thanks to God because your giving supplies very real needs. 

Citylight – in just a few minutes we are going to make our Reach commitments and your giving will supply a very real need. After over ten years of gospel-ministry, we are not being permitted to stay in this building any longer. Citylight church needs a place where we can gather for God’s glory, where we can grow in the grace of God, where we can invite our neighbors to hear the good news of Jesus, and where we can raise our children to the glory of God. Not only do we need a place to gather, the greatest need in our city and in our region is vibrant, gospel-preaching churches that hold out the good news of Jesus in our generation. The greatest need in our nation and in our world are churches that plant churches and send workers everywhere. And the greatest need for the next generation is a church that makes the real Jesus non-ignorable. And church buildings are like time machines that help ensure that we can make disciples and plant churches long into the future. When you give to reach, these are the very real needs that your generosity is supplying! 

And one day, your giving to supply these needs will lead many to give thanks to God. One day soon, when we’re gathering to worship Jesus in a beautiful facility that is our own, we’ll give thanks to God for the commitments that you’ll make today. One day when our children are learning about the good news of Jesus in a space designed with just them in mind, we’ll give thanks to God for the commitments that you’ll make today. One day when our friends, co-workers, neighbors, and classmates are baptized at our new facility, we’ll give thanks to God for the commitments that you’ll make today. One day when our city is served and new churches are sent out from our facility, we’ll give thanks to God for the commitments that you’ll make today. One day when we’re long gone and the gospel is still proclaimed in this region through our long-term facility, people we don’t even know yet will give thanks to God. Today, when we fill out our commitment cards, let’s give so that others will give thanks to God for the very real needs that our giving will supply. But that’s not the only way that it works…

YOUR GIVING SUPPLIES MORE THAN NEEDS

Yes, the suffering Christians in Jerusalem will give thanks to God because the generous Corinthians are going to supply their needs. But Paul says that even more than giving thanks to God for the Corinthians’ generosity, the poor Christians in Jerusalem will give thanks to God for what gave rise to their generosity. 2 Corinthians 9:13-14 – 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, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 

The poor Christians in Jerusalem aren’t just going to give thanks to God because the Corinthians supply their very real needs. Even more, the Christians in Jerusalem give thanks to God because the Corinthians’ generosity can only be explained by God’s grace. The Christians in Jerusalem give thanks to God because the Corinthians’ generosity supplies more than needs. Their generosity shows off the generosity of God in the gospel, which is at work in their hearts to make them generous. Their generosity supplies more than needs; it reveals their hearts that have been touched by the gospel.

Citylight – before we make our Reach commitments, we are going to watch a video from Advance Commitment Night, when our leaders made their Reach commitments. In the video you’ll notice that none of our leaders share the amount that they’ve committed. Rather, you’re going to hear the heart behind their giving. You’re going to get to hear how the gospel of grace motivates their generosity. The reason why I am so excited for you to see this video is because this is the kind of giving that causes us to give thanks to God. This is the kind of generosity that causes us to give thanks to God for his grace that is powerful enough to make us generous. When you watch the video – give thanks to God for his grace that has made your leaders generous. 

Friends – today we all have the opportunity to be part of that. We have the opportunity to let God’s grace fill our hearts to the point of overflowing generosity so that others will give thanks to God for his grace at work in our hearts. And this brings us to the final and ultimate reason why we give so that others will give thanks to God…

YOUR GIVING IS GOD’S GIFT

Give so that others will give thanks to God because your giving flows from his gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! Paul concludes the passage where all truly generous giving begins and ends: God’s inexpressible gift. In the context of 2 Corinthians 8-9, God’s inexpressible gift is the Lord Jesus Christ. There are no words that can properly express the gift that we have in Christ. 

When we were dead in our sins, God gave us the inexpressible gift of Christ so that we would be born a second time! He gave Christ so that we can be born again. 

When we were estranged from God, he gave the inexpressible gift of Christ who was forsaken by God on the cross so that we will not be God forsaken forever. 

When we were without hope, God gave the inexpressible gift of Christ who after he was crucified was raised three days later to secure eternal hope for all who believe in Him.

When we sin in so many ways today, God gives the inexpressible gift of Christ who lives to intercede for us.

When we should be condemned now, God gives the inexpressible gift of Christ whose nail pierced hands still remind us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.