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2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 9
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2Cor 9,1-15
· (130f) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Committed to caring for the needs of the body Ø
Committed to supporting one another – Paul has been leading up to 2Cor 9-6 since
chapter 7, which happens to be one of the most popular verses among pastors in
convincing their parishioners to give money. Paul has come full circle
regarding the gifts, only this time he speaks about them on a more practical
level. He says the Corinthians are ready to give and is recommending them and
praising them for their attitude about giving. In chapter 8 Paul talked about
giving on a more general basis, but in this chapter the subject of giving has
been more specifically directed toward giving money. He uses the word
“zeal” to describe them, so if a person is financially zealous to give, it
is an indication of their ability to receive in more spiritual ways, but if a
person’s faith never manifests in giving from their earthly means, then
neither will they receive much from God in terms of spiritual gifts. God would
much rather we be spiritual people than successful by the world’s standards.
For this reason God seeks to reward our financial giving with spiritual
blessings, which was God’s plan for the Corinthians. Being spiritual was
something they wanted according to Paul’s first letter to them; now this is
their way to get there, but neither can they buy their way to new spiritual
heights (Act 8,18-24).
· (189d) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Separation from the old man Ø Holy sacrifice Ø
Costly sacrifice
2Cor 9,1-5
· (8g) Responsible to interact with God Ø
Preparing to receive from God -- These verses go with verse 8. God would rather repay us for our practical
generosity in more spiritual ways, since God is Spirit, and since He enjoys
using evil (money) for good whenever He can (I am aware that the Bible says
the root of all evil is the “Love” of money). His desire for us as
recipients of His reward for being generous is not just with the gifts
outlined in 1Cor 12&14, but also with the fruits of the spirit
punctuated in chapter 13 and specified in Galatians chapter five.
2Cor 9,1-4
· (122h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Confidence in
yourself as you die to sin Ø Confidence in the
church through your ministry
· (130m) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Interdependent on each other Ø Depend on your
brother to walk in the gifts of God’s calling -- These verses go with
verses 12-15
2Cor 9,2-4
· (83l) Thy kingdom come Ø
Be on the alert Ø Remain on duty Ø
Be ready
· (84d) Thy kingdom come Ø
Words of your mouth Ø Boasting Ø
It needs to be said and no one else is saying it Ø
Boasting of my accomplishments in Christ
2Cor 9-2
· (11o) Servant Ø
Example of God’s people Ø The church
· (96i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Attitude Ø Positive attitude about giving
-- This verse goes with verse 7
· (101b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Zeal Ø For the manifestation of God’s
kingdom Ø Zealous for good works
· (179e) Works of the devil Ø
Practicing witchcraft Ø Wolves Ø
Stir up the crowd Ø Stir up the crowd for a
godly motive
2Cor 9,3-7
· (4e) Responsible
to advocate God’s cause Ø Being accountable
in your stewardship – God is not very materialistic, though the
streets of heaven are made of gold, yet only to mock the lovers of money,
such as prosperity teachers. They have the vision of God’s people growing
richer and richer as they give more and more money to their ministries. They
don’t really believe this, do they? God rarely (actually never) integrates
money as part of His vision. He sees it as a necessary evil as we should, if
that. When you look at Jesus, He was by no means materialistic, yet some
prosperity teachers audaciously claim He was a wealthy man. They are
heretics who believe this! One thing is for sure, He could have been
wealthy, but the more people gave to His ministry, the more He gave to the
poor and to those who needed money more than Him. That’s the problem with
these prosperity teachers; they need money too much! Jesus’ whole life was
meant as an example for the way we ought to live. What about the poor who
have nothing? Jesus lived their lives that they in turn might live more like
Jesus, referring to purity and righteousness. If you want to lead an
extravagant life, this is not something God will help you do. If you found a
way to live extravagantly, do not attribute your success to God, because you
invariably sacrificed His will to get there.
2Cor 9-3
· (171d) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Outward
appearance Ø Vanity Ø
Vain experience Ø Emptiness is where God isn’t
2Cor 9-4
· (153k) Witness Ø
Validity of the Father Ø God bears witness
against the world Ø Shame Ø
Living for Jesus exposes sin Ø Your walk with
God puts others to shame
2Cor 9,5-15
· (192d) Die to self Ø
Result of putting off the old man Ø Gain by
losing Ø Receiving from God by substitution Ø
Wheeling and dealing in God’s spiritual economy –
Paul is talking proudly to the Corinthians, who
if you remember in his first letter rebuked them for being disobedient in many
aspects of the gospel, particularly regarding their means of spirituality. The
Corinthians earnestly desired to wield the power of God, and Paul had to set
them straight, not for wanting such a thing, but for seeking it in all the
wrong places and with all the wrong motives. God would much rather reward us
spiritually for the material gifts we use to help the saints, rather than
simply give us our money back with interest, which the prosperity teachers
have taught us over the years through their own greed. We’ve all heard it,
that if we give, we will receive. Even Jesus taught us that (Luke 6:38).
Still, that does not mean if I give money I will get money. God is far more
interested in our spiritual enrichment than He is in our financial prosperity.
He promised to be our provider, but He left it open just how He would make
sure we always had enough. One thing I know, the more spiritual we become, the
less earthly treasures mean to us. So it seems God builds contentment in us as
we give. This He does as a favor to both us and Himself, repaying our
generosity with spiritual blessings – we benefit by being more spiritual and
God benefits by making it easier on Himself to provide our needs.
· (235d) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Tithing Ø Offerings Ø
Help your weaker brother -- These verses go with verses 1-5
· (236h) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Invest your treasures into the kingdom Ø Invest
everything you value
2Cor 9,5-7
· (2g) Responsible to avoid offending God Ø
Keep your commitments with those who are committed to you
2Cor 9-5
· (8n) Responsible to prevent sin from coming
between you and God
· (21m) Sin Ø
Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security Ø
The love of money
· (62k) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Being clever Ø
Making no provisions for the flesh
2Cor 9,6-15
· (11g) Servant Ø
God’s standard is in proportion to our output – There is a great
truth in this portion of Scripture for us if we can weed the junky teaching
out of it that we have heard from televangelists and the like who have falsely
taught the "give in order to get" philosophy. It makes sense that the
Bible would teach us to give, and it is a solid doctrine that we are rewarded
for being a blessing; so there is nothing wrong with these verses. Give to
your hearts content. God has a way of returning it to you in one form or
another. But don’t give in order to get; all you will get is the reward of a
televangelist, which they have received in full.
2Cor 9,6-14
· (32k) Gift of God Ø
Father will honor your devotion to Him Ø
Honor a fruitful life
· (218h) Sovereignty Ø
God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will
over man Ø Reaping the harvest of obedience Ø The
harvest of righteousness
2Cor 9,6-13
· (34l) Gift of God Ø
Be generous like your Father Ø Give to your
brother
2Cor 9,6-11
· (206c) Salvation Ø
God makes promises on His terms Ø Conditions to
promises Ø Conditions to receiving in the
natural Ø Conditions to partaking in the
natural realm
2Cor 9,6-10
· (23j) Sin Ø
Poverty (Oppression) Ø The solution to poverty
· (127e) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Goodness Ø
Rewards for doing good Ø Sow the seeds of
goodness Ø goodness yields a harvest of
righteousness
· (230h) Kingdom of God Ø
God’s kingdom is a living organism Ø Mystery
of godliness Ø Mystery of the trinity Ø
Obey the mystery of godliness like Jesus did
2Cor 9,6-8
· (31j) Gift of God Ø
Gift of His grace Ø Being responsible with it
-- These verses go with verse 15
· (116j) Thy kingdom come Ø
Working the grace of God Ø Through giving
2Cor 9-6
· (226h) Kingdom of God Ø
Illustrating the kingdom Ø Rewards of heaven Ø
Levels of reward Ø God rewards us to the degree
of our faithfulness – The
Corinthians were leaders in giving. Paul praised them as examples of how to
give, and was very proud of them, knowing that God would give them the desire
of their hearts, which according to his first letter to them was to be
spiritual. They wanted to wield the sword of the Spirit and now they will have
that opportunity through giving. God may send money your way as a reward for
being generous, but generally God uses every opportunity to mold us closer to
the image of Christ, and money simply doesn't have that effect. There were
those in the church who were poor; in fact the Bible says that the gospel was
preached primarily to the poor, who were most receptive to the gospel, and for
this reason there are a lot of poor people in the church. God uses the poor as
opportunities for others with greater means than themselves to bless them, so
that God can in turn bless the giver with His own gift. Those with money feel
no need for God, and the rich think they are God; this is why God thinks twice
about using money as a "blessing."
2Cor 9,7-10
· (90l) Thy kingdom come Ø
The called Ø God’s purpose for us is to
fulfill His calling Ø Our purpose is to do God’s
will
2Cor 9-7
· (74g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Heart is central value system Ø Man’s
treasure chest – Paul taught that whatever is in our hearts is
how we should give, not to give beyond our means or desire, otherwise it
wouldn’t be sincere or even real, because later we may regret it, and then
we would resent it. These things are like poison in the stew, and if they were
allowed to fester and grow would work to distance us from the body of Christ.
Although giving a bigger gift may seem on the outside a good thing, yet the
net result may be destructive. It is better to give what we are willing than
to give what we are not, because the reward is in our willingness to give, not
in the money itself. In the case when we give more than in our hearts, there
is no reward, no growing and no benefit. The only benefit is in the money
itself, which does very little to help the heart grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Give money to the saints and all it does
is help them live another day, but our willingness can help them live for
Jesus another day, and this is what we are trying to instill –
encouragement. Our willingness encourages them to believe they are making all
the right decisions in following Jesus, because they have us as examples. For
this reason God loves a cheerful giver. Our willingness blesses God, and our
gift blesses the recipients of our generosity. We accomplish more blessing God
than we do the poor, for in blessing God we feed the poor, plus we encourage
them to live for Jesus, but in merely feeding the poor, they have their reward
in full. Perhaps giving money is one of the least spiritual things you could
do, yet it takes the most faith and it holds some of the best results. God is
a giver, and without His gift no one has anything, so to give what we have to
help others is to be like God. That is the objective to be more like God every
day.
· (78n) Thy kingdom come Ø
Putting your heart on display Ø The result of a
renewed mind
· (87i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Obedience Ø Those who obey believe --
This verse goes with verses 10-13
· (96i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Attitude Ø Positive attitude about giving
-- This verse goes with verse 2
· (106n) Thy kingdom come Ø
Hearing from God Ø Purpose of hearing from God Ø
God gives us instruction
· (125i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø
Joy is the result of giving
2Cor 9,8-12
· (249d) Priorities Ø
God’ s preeminence Ø Wealth Ø
True perception of wealth Ø Do not trust the
carnal perception of wealth Ø Do not try to
hold on to your money – God gives a promise to those who give money,
or perhaps even a cup of cold water, in support of the saints. He promises to
increase their abundance for every good deed. To those who share their good
fortune with others, money is a gift from God, which increase their ability to
do good from the heart and multiplies in value throughout eternity to the
glory of God, but those who think their money is their own, its value is based
on the fair market, and when they buy something for themselves, they have
their reward in full. Increasing the ability to do good is not about getting
more money; increasing wealth does not increase your willingness to give.
Instead, the more money you have the less willing you are to give it, but the
more you give the more you are willing to give. If anyone has given to
donations and then had them call you right back asking for more money, they
have done their homework; they have collected their statistics and discovered
the same thing and are trying to take advantage of you. The more money you
give, the more willing you are to give of yourself, your time and energy, your
sweat and ultimately perhaps even your blood, like so many of the most devout
saints throughout time. The more of yourself you give the more spiritual you
become, and the more spiritual, the less you care about money. The less you
care about money, the more willing you are to give it. This is how God wants
to reward you – spiritually, so you have something to offer, that your gifts
may increase in value and frequency.
2Cor 9,8-11
· (31d) Gift of God Ø
God is our Father Ø His favor enriches your
life
· (46a) Judgment Ø
Spiritual warfare Ø Subjecting your flesh Ø
Violent take it by force
2Cor 9-8
· (8g) Responsible to interact with God Ø
Preparing to receive from God -- This verse goes with verses 1-5
· (116h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Working the grace of God Ø Our adequacy is from
God
2Cor 9-9
· (141d) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears
witness to the new Ø It bears witness to Jesus Ø
Prophesy about Jesus’ ministry Ø Jesus as the
savior
2Cor 9,10-13
· (87i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Obedience Ø Those who obey believe --
These verses go with verse 7
2Cor 9-10
· (30d) Gift of God Ø
Prepare to receive from God Ø God supplies our
needs under certain conditions – God never promised He would increase our
money supply; he promised to increase the harvest of our righteousness. He
promised to supply our needs while multiplying our seed for sowing, not for
eating the seed, with the hope that it increases our harvest of righteousness.
God wants righteousness to sprout from the seed of money that we sow. Normally
if you sow a corn seed you reap a corn plant, but God is not interested in
corn; He expects righteousness to sprout from sowing money. Too often these
verses are interpreted as though the will of God were all about money and it
simply is not. God wants to increase our ability to do righteousness, and only
part of that is increasing our money supply. God is not interested in making
us financially wealthy, but spiritually wealthy. Righteousness is all about
being spiritual, and most of being spiritual is about giving, and part of
giving is about money. So money plays a small role in God’s will as you
would expect. Money is a good thing to give, because the recipient can
transform it into whatever he or she needs.
· (60h) Paradox Ø
Two implied meanings Ø Seed—Money / Good
works
· (76o) Thy kingdom come Ø
Desires Ø Word is food Ø
Harvesting the word of God
· (229f) Kingdom of God Ø
God’s kingdom is a living organism Ø Kingdom
grows by itself Ø God causes the growth Ø
God uses us to cause the growth
2Cor 9,11-15
· (82i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Prayer Ø Thankfulness Ø
Giving thanks for His blessings – Another
promise of giving is that we will be enriched to do good and to increase our
righteousness in all things spiritual, yet too often pastors use these verses
to teach that if the congregation gives to the ministry, God will give them
their money back with interest. All this willingness to give is producing
thanksgiving to God. Paul spoke about this praise as though it were a form of
currency. Gratitude toward God completed the upward spiral of giving and
receiving and the ever increasing value of their gift and its hope of
supplying those in need with everything they lacked including faith and trust
in God and loyalty toward one another.
· (131f) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Brother depends on you Ø To do
the will of God
2Cor 9,11-13
· (120k) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Contentment Ø
Content with your standard of living Ø Free
from greed
2Cor 9-11
· (250b) Priorities Ø
God’s prerequisites Ø Sequence of priorities Ø
In all things ... Ø Be obedient in all things
2Cor 9,12-15
· (123h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø
Spiritual affection Ø Ministry of the saints Ø
Caring f or each others needs
· (130m) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Interdependent on each other Ø Depend on your
brother to walk in the gifts of God’s calling -- These verses go with
verses 12-15
2Cor 9,12-14
· (142d) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø
Having a good reputation Ø A reputation of good
works
2Cor 9-13
· (2g) Responsible to avoid offending God Ø
Keep your commitments with those who are committed to you
· (150d) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the
church bear witness to Jesus Ø Confessing the
salvation of Christ Ø Confessing Jesus
because you are saved
· (156c) Witness Ø
Validity of the believer Ø Evidence of
salvation Ø Loving God is evidence of
salvation Ø Expressing your feelings toward
Him
· (244i) Kingdom of God Ø
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm Ø
Literal manifestations Ø Literal
manifestation of God’s word Ø Manifesting
the righteousness of His kingdom
2Cor 9-14
· (36a) Gift of God Ø
Gifts from the Holy Spirit Ø To him who has
shall more be given
· (83c) Thy kingdom come Ø
Results of prayer Ø Prayer unites the body
· (93i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Following Jesus Ø Through men Ø
Follow the example of others
· (116b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Working the grace of God Ø Through worship Ø
In prayer
· (143i) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø
Popularity Ø Sought commendably Ø
Being sought for your relationship with God
2Cor 9-15
· (31j) Gift of God Ø
Gift of His grace Ø Being responsible with it
-- This verse goes with verses 6-8
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