In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.how in a severe ordeal of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their generosity.How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
4 sermons cite this verse
… Go to the right a little further and you come to 2 Corinthians. Look at 2 Corinthians 8. 2 Corinthians 8 is talking about a very poor church, churches in Macedonia, that had gotten together a fund to send to a struggling church in Jerusalem. Listen to what he says. We'll start in verse 3 just to get the picture. It says, I testify they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability, entirely on their own. Here's verse 4. They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing. That's the word, koinonia, sharing in this service to the saints. So we share in the body of Christ and then we share in the service of Christ. The way we serve each other is something we share together. It's a commonality that we have in the service of the saints, in the service of Christ. One more instance in 2 Corinthians. Look at the very last verse, 2 Corinthians chapter 13. Look at verse 14. …
… scripture teach us to give what we're going to do is we're going to read two passages one in chapter 8 and one in chapter 9 and basically the first one 2 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1 through 9 is an example. Paul points to these churches in Macedonia. We're going to see him kind of lift them up as an example. And the second passage we're going to look at is 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6 through 15. And what this is over here is basically some truths based on this example. So we're going to be all over the place going back and forth, just turning between these two chapters. But to try to get this picture, let's camp out on these two passages. 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verse 1. Paul writes, service to the saints. And 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. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, and knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in your love for us, Okay, go over to the next chapter. …
In a severe test of affliction, this is chapter 8 of my precious 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 2, in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy. Now, in the context, verse 1 has stated that this joy is in the superabounding grace of God. So, the grace has come down and the joy has come up like the song says. Maybe they don't sing that anymore I'm old In a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy in the grace of God and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity. In verse 8, six verses later, Paul calls that love. So where does love come from? It comes as the overflow of joy in God which meets the needs of others. That's my definition of love. Love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others. Or to be more precise, love is the built-in impulse inside the enjoyment of God. There's an impulse. It was there in the Trinity, which is why the world was created, I believe. …
… Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord. It was their idea. They took the initiative. Begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints. And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. Consequently, we urge Titus, that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. That is, that they also in the Corinthian church might be as generous and as obedient as they were in the churches in Macedonia. Now, let me tell you what I want to do today. I want to make my introduction very brief because I want to go immediately into the body of this message because I want to talk about what the Bible teaches about giving in the church. …