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As a church, we're going through the Bible and we are in the book of 2 Corinthians. And in particular, we are starting a look at Chapters 8 and 9 in 2 Corinthians.

I start with a news report I read this week, about how 55 people or at least 55 people lost over $500,000 this year to lottery scam involving religious figures. I read a bit more and these scammers reach out to their potential victims via WhatsApp and Facebook and social media.

They would say that they are affiliated or associated with certain religious institutions or religious leaders. And they will then ask their victims, do you want to get wealthy? And those who respond yes, they will follow up with a question, would you like us to buy lottery for you? There's more power, you see. And when they say yes, they would do so and they would then lie to them that they have strucked lottery. But before they can collect their winnings, they will need to pay an administrative fee or to give a portion of their winnings before they can collect the winnings.

Of course, it all turns out to be a scam and so amazingly, at least 55 people lose over $500,000. That's $10,000 on an average; that's quite a bit.

Well, I'll say two things about this. Number one, many people think that religion is a way for me to get rich. Many people think that we go to the deity so that we can pray for some kind of wealth.

I want to say categorically, that's not what the Bible teaches at all. Christianity is not a means for someone to get rich. The Christian faith teaches us what it takes to get God, not get goodies. In fact, sometimes and oftentimes, in order for us to really know and serve the Living God, we have to give up the goodies. We have to give up the stuff of this life. We have to deny ourselves, take up the cross to follow Jesus.

The second thing I would say is religious scams have been in this world even before online and WhatsApp means are available. During the times of Jesus, He exposed the false teachers of His day. He exposed the Pharisees and say that they are like wolves who devour widows' houses.

So I can understand this morning when I talk about 2 Corinthians Chapters 8 and 9, you will be a little bit uncomfortable to say the least, because it's a passage about giving. It's a passage about money. And you may be looking at me and say, is this guy going to scam me of more money or what?

But I want to assure you, this is not a topic that we often talk about in this church. We don't have a hobby horse on giving. We don't talk about financial giving by God's people each and every week. So if you're here with us for the first time, you struck lottery. Uh, no..no..no. You just came at the, at this time where we are looking at 2 Corinthians Chapter 8.

Uh.. actually for the past six years, we've been in Punggol for six years, we've been going through the Bible in that we've gone through the book of Matthew, then Genesis, then 1 Corinthians and now 2 Corinthians. I think out of these six years, this is probably the first time we're going to focus on giving - financial giving. So I, I want to say all that to put you, I hope, in somewhat at ease.

Now why 2 Corinthians, what's the story all about? Well, the story goes that Paul is writing to the church at Corinth. He's telling them to get funds ready because there are real needs, life and death maybe, survival needs for the poor in Jerusalem, the church there in Jerusalem.

We are not told exactly what's happening at Jerusalem to cause them to be in such poverty. It could be the persecution of the church. It could be that there were many Christians, many people coming into the church and there are many needy people there, in particular the widows. Or it could be that there was a famine that was prophesied in Acts 11 and now that it is true in that land, therefore there are great needs in this city and in this church. So Paul wrote to the Corinthians to encourage them in giving.

Actually when Paul wrote about this, this is not the first time the Corinthians are apprised as to the problem. Because we see in verse 10 - and in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work. So they knew about this about a year ago. In fact, we read about this in 1 Corinthians Chapter 16. Paul had already informed them about the needs and about the need to gather the funds to provide for the poor there.

Perhaps they have slackened because they doubted Paul as an apostle. Perhaps they were slackened because there was indwelling sin in the church. So after Paul kind of defended himself in 2 Corinthians, in Chapters 2 to 7 in particular, and having dealt with their sin, he now reminds them about the need to provide for the saints in Jerusalem.

In these two chapters, I want to highlight one word for you and that is the word 'charis'. The word 'charis' is the word 'grace'. Grace is God's good favour to undeserving people, to bless us and to enable us to do what He commands us to do. And this word 'grace' is going to happen about 10 times in these two chapters. So if I may say, I'd like to launch this two-chapter study and entitle our message today "The Grace of Giving" - the charis, the favour of God, the enabling of God in giving.

You see, giving is not quite natural to us. We are natural grabbers. When a baby is born, when you are born, I guarantee your hand posture like that one. I've not seen a baby born like that one. We are all born with this posture. And when you give something to a baby, it will grab one, it won't give you one. Nah.. give you. No baby is born like that. No child is born like this.

We are all born grabbers, isn't it? We won't share, we want things for ourselves but it is therefore God's grace that enables His people to really give. So that's what we're going to look at this morning.

Three things I'd like us to notice in verses 1 to 9 of Chapter 8. The first thing I'd like you to notice is Paul's example in the grace of giving. What does the grace of giving look like? How does it manifest itself? How can I tell if it is God's grace enabling you to give? Paul raises an example.

[1] The Example

My two sons have learned how to swim. They swim far better than me. Mine is the doggy style or whatever style, own.. own style. Don't know how to swim, but just kind of made it myself. But we sent our two kids, two boys, for swimming lessons. And I always find it challenging to let them learn how to swim because kids, at least my two boys, are naturally afraid of the water.

But I learned something when Shawn, my oldest boy, years ago learned how to swim. We went to a class and it's a little bit uncomfortable for me because I need to get into the water. I.. I was hoping for sending him to a class and let someone else take care of it. But no, this one, you need to be in the water. So I'm in the water there with Shawn. And before he got into the water, they need to help him be comfortable getting wet, getting water.

So I learned this very, very useful trick. The instructor was very clever. He took out a prop, he took out an instrument, he took out the tool, and it is a tool that looks absolutely like this. Shawn, do you remember? No idea...alright. I remember it vividly. So, he took out that little red octopus. He sat Shawn at the edge of the pool and then he took out this octopus and he scooped some water and drizzled it over the octopus. And as he does so, he sings this tune, hums this tune - doo..doo..doo..doo..doo. So cute, doo..doo..doo..doo..doo. And Shawn giggles, hee..hee..hee..hee. He's excited about it. So cute - the octopus!

Well, the instructor then takes some water, some drops, and sprinkle over Shawn. Doo..doo..doo..doo..doo. Shawn, ha..ha..ha..ha..ha! No problem. Then the instructor takes a pail, scoops some water and pours it over the tentacles of the octopus. And, doo..doo..doo..doo..doo.. wah, so fun! He takes some water and scoops and pours it over Shawn's legs.

Pours it a few times, every time, doo..doo..doo..doo..doo.., over the hands, over the shoulders. And then he takes that pail and pours it over the octopus, drenching it totally, doo..doo..doo..doo..doo. Shawn giggles, was fun. And now he takes that same pail of water and pours it over Shawn's head, and he ha..ha..ha.., even though he is getting wet.

Wow! I mean, can you imagine if he started the class by saying, son, you sit here; takes the whole pail and pours it over Shawn's head. He's going to have PTSD. He's not going to swim anymore. But because he saw that the Mr. Octopus is quite alright with water, he thought he can also go through it himself. Brilliant! I learnt something that day.

The apostle Paul was like that swimming instructor. He wanted the people at Corinth to give to the needy in Jerusalem. So instead of saying, go do it now, he kind of makes it easier for them by saying, consider the churches at Macedonia. Macedonia is a region up north there you can see, and they have, in that region you have Thessalonica and Philippi. And that's where we read about the church at, the Thessalonians and the Philippians and the Bereans are also there.

And Paul is saying the church at Macedonia is like that octopus. Look at how they give! And this is how you should also give. So he says in verse 1, we want you to know brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. Now I want you to notice that the emphasis of Paul is not so much how great the Macedonians were, but the emphasis is on the grace of God, the charis of God.

So he's not saying, oh look at the Macedonians, they are so great. But he is saying, look at God's grace, how great it is that enabled your brethren at Macedonia to do this thing, and likewise, you can do it. Just as the water can be poured on the red octopus, it can be poured upon you as well.

So what's so special about this grace of giving amongst the Macedonians? Three characteristics I just want to highlight amongst the many things that are mentioned there.

Number 1: I want you to note the extremity they have to go through. They had to go through great difficulty. They have to go through great hardship. They are going through great hardship. The Bible tells us they were in a severe test of affliction and they were having extreme poverty.

Now when you read Philippians and Thessalonians, you may have an idea, perhaps they were a persecuted people. I think in the early days of the church, generally the church is being persecuted. So it may be that they were undergoing great persecution and they were in extreme poverty.

And yet they gave. In other words, when grace was in operation amongst the Macedonians, they did not give because it was easy to give. They did not give because they had a lot of extras or surplus. They gave because that was God's supernatural grace in operation.

You see, natural giving is when we have enough, when we have extra, when it is easy. But it is grace when it is shown up in extreme and difficult times. Notice that in their extremity, they gave with great generosity. Because they gave out of an abundance of joy. They were not grudging, they were not complaining, they were not buay song. They were not saying, wah you pressure me to give ah. No, they were with abundance of joy. And it was overflowing like a river overflowing its banks. Overflowing in a wealth of generosity. They were desperately poor but they were extremely generous.

And the Bible goes on to say, for they gave according to their means and as I can testify, beyond their means. They were not giving because it was easy or comfortable. They gave sacrificially. They gave out of their comfort zone. They gave out of faith, totally of their own accord. Nothing pressurizing them, no compulsion anywhere else.

So they gave in extremity. They gave with generosity and may I suggest to you, they gave with humility because verse 4 tells us, they were begging us earnestly. They will say, pleading, please let us give.

You know in those days you don't have Paynow, Paylah, internet banking; you want to give, not so easy to give, they are very far away leh. I mean you take bus also take long time to get to Jerusalem. But when they gave, they needed people to carry the money. So they were saying, please let us have this opportunity to also give to our brethren in Jerusalem.

Oh, so many times I've heard that it is the recipients who have to beg for money, who have to ask for money. But in this case, the donors, the givers were begging for the opportunity to give.

The Bible goes on to say they were begging for the favour. The word 'favour' there is the word 'charis'. Now in this sense, it is not so much God's enabling but it is seen as a gift. Or if I may put it in another way, they see it as a privilege. They were begging for the privilege to take part. The word here is koinonia in the Greek, a familiar word to Christians. It means to share, to fellowship.

And then the next word is even more interesting: in a relief, the word there is diakonia, from which we get the word deacons in the church. And what are diakonos or deacons? They are servants. So they are saying, we plead with you for the privilege to koinonia in diakonia or serving or being slaves to saints.

In other words, they don't see themselves as patrons. They don't see themselves as the benefactor. They don't look down on the church at Jerusalem saying, we have, you don't have, so we help you. They see themselves as servants to serve the Jerusalem church. You say, why are they able to do so? Why do they have such a servant-hearted lens to things? Because they truly see themselves servants as unto the Lord. They first gave themselves to the Lord.

What is natural giving today? Natural giving is when somebody come and ask you, aey we have some needs uh, can you give some? Well, because you don't want to paiseh, you want to look like you are a generous person; so you calculate what you have, you have a lot of extra, so you give some of your extra. But you give it somewhat not happily and you kind of feel like - I'm benefacting you and you owe something to me. You kind of feel like you have a say in what they are going to do. You feel like they owe you.

But supernatural giving is when it is difficult to give and yet it overflows with abundance. Now, it's not about the absolute amount, let's be clear. It's about the degree of sacrifice. The widow who gave two mites, gave far more than all the rich people put into the treasury, according to Jesus. It's not about the amount; it's the sacrifice that is behind it all. And it's about the attitude, huh, that I am a servant in my giving. That marks a supernatural giver. Someone who doesn't bring attention to himself.

When my kids are younger, I used to bring them out quite a bit, to the outdoors. Sadly, we don't go out very much nowadays because they like their devices a lot more. But uh, we would go to all kinds of places. But one of the favourite haunts we have is a cultured place, it's a prepared place - a, a nice, nicely designed place, it's called Jacob Ballas.

I'm not sure if you have been there before. Eh.. it is the first, it's Asia's first children garden and it's a beautiful place. It's in my opinion, very well designed for young kids. So we've been there so many times, I mean, really countless times that I began to observe all the little details in the place. And although I don't really like plants, I.. I kind of distract myself by looking at the plants. And I.. I noticed that there was a very special plant there.

When we were there, we could see, of course the fruit not so big lah. But when I was there, I saw this plant. And I saw that sign. And some explanation of that plant and this is.. anybody knows what plant this is? I want to see if anybody as boliao as me, go so many times until you observe all these things. Anybody knows what plant this is? Grape? Wah, jialat lah you.

Ah.. Botanic Gardens you should visit more. Huh! Okay, granted it looks a little bit like, like grapes but grapes, you know the vine doesn't quite look like this, the leaves don't look like this. Anybody knows? It's a very simple name but a very catchy one. It's called the miracle fruit. Orh...huh..huh..huh..huh! The miracle fruit? why?

Interestingly, it.. it reads on the sign board that if you eat this fruit, you don't eat the seeds ah, but you eat the fruit; you coat your mouth with it, then whatever sour food you eat thereafter will taste sweet. Amazing, right? The reason is because within this fruit, in a pulp, there is this molecule called miraculin. They call it miraculin. That when it goes to the taste bud, it coats it in such a way, sour foods cause a chemical reaction and you perceive it as sweet. Amazing miraculin.

That's what I thought of when I read this passage. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God, that is the miraculin! That when you have the grace of God, sour things come into your life - affliction and poverty, it will come out sweet, abundance of joy and overflowing of generosity.

And that's what the churches at Macedonia demonstrated. And Paul says, with regards to the grace of giving, I want to give you an example. The example of the red octopus, the example of the churches at Macedonia. I'm not talking about how great Macedonia is. I'm talking a bit about how great the miraculin - the grace of God is.

And so, I think, it behooves us to consider this morning: do we, have I, seen or evidenced the grace of God in giving in my life? Am I still a spiritual infant whose predominant posture is grab and not give? And even if I give, do I give naturally, easily, conveniently? Or do I give sacrificially? Do I give grudgingly or do I give joyfully? Do I give recognizing that this is about service to others because I'm first and foremost a servant of God? Or is this so that I may look good and look generous before men? Do I give for the audience of One or do I give so that everybody may applaud me? Well, do I have miraculin in my life?

The story of the Macedonians is for the Corinthians, but I hope it is also for you today. Now, I've spent a long time on point one. Eh.. I want to tell you points two and three are very short, so don't worry, alright?

[2] The Exercise

Paul, having explained about the grace of God amongst the Macedonians, did.. did not just leave it as that like a good story, but he pressed on and urged them to also exercise the grace of giving. He pressed them into action. He wanted them not to live in the realm of good intentions alone. So he said in verse 6, accordingly we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. As I've mentioned, this was something that was begun about a year ago when Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians Chapter 16 about the collection of the saints.

So now Paul says, but as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness and in our love for you, you guys are good in many areas. But please don't have a blind spot here. See that you excel in this act of grace. The word 'excel' in the Greek means to be abundant or to be overflowing. It means to increase. So Paul says, I want you to increase in the act of grace.

I love this term, by the way. It's super simple but so theologically accurate and important. And the phrase 'act of grace'. Sounds contradictory. Because grace is God's gift and enabling. Act is what I have to do. But this is how it is in a Christian life. If I were to give and if God is working in my life in the grace of giving, then it has to be both God's enabling and my doing.

Let me say that again. The act of grace phrase reminds me that it has to be both God's enabling and my doing. Don't you realize this is what it is in a Christian life? The Bible tells us God wants to bless us, wants to give. But at the same time, we've also got to pray. We have not because we ask not. So God uses our prayer, so He wants to give, it's His gift but it is also necessary that we pray.

You want to grow as a Christian. Great! Realize number one: it has to be God who changes us. We can't change ourselves; any change is by God. But at the same time, I need to apply myself diligently to Scripture, to prayer, to Gospel community that God may grow me through these means. So God enables, but I also got to be doing it.

Apply it to salvation. God is the One who saves people. Salvation is of the Lord. But if you are to be saved, God has to be the One who worked and you will also have to repent and to believe. God enables but we are also to do, to obey.

So when it comes to giving, Paul says it's the same. Huh.. It is God's enabling grace. Yes, but you've also got to be acting it out or doing it, it's an act of grace. So you won't be a generous, godly, grace-driven giver if you just say, let go and let God. I just sit here and somehow God will zap me and my money will disappear and go into people's accounts. Unless you're scammed, huh. Otherwise, it won't happen that way. You've got to make that choice; you've got to act that grace out.

So he says, I say this not as a command. I'm saying this not to compel you or to force you. You know the Christian faith is like this, it's not to be compelled, from the outside. It must be motivated on the inside. Paul understands this, in particular, in the realm of giving. So I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others, by the red octopus in Macedonia, that your love also is genuine. Don't live in the realm of good intentions alone.

So he says, uh no, he says, John probably says it best when he articulates: little children (and this is talking about loving one another), little children, let us not love in word or talk because it's cheap, it's empty, but in deed and in truth.

So like I said, it's going to be fast and so let me just say, Paul is talking about the grace of giving. He first lays down an example of the Macedonians. He then urges them to exercise this gift of, or this grace of giving.

[3] The Experience

And then he closes by saying, the reason why you can exercise the gift of giving or the grace of giving is not just because of the example of the Macedonians, but also because you have experienced the grace of giving. You personally have tasted and benefited from the grace of giving.

Because Paul says, for, you can act, you should excel in this act of grace. Why? Because - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! You can be generous in giving because you have been generously dealt with in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has been so generous to you.

What did Jesus do? The Bible tells us, though He was rich. Now, I want you to understand that this is not about material riches. Material riches are not true riches for God, because He created everything in six days with His Word. It is not true riches. The true riches here, I think, refers to the communion and the glory that God Himself possesses.

And He left aside heavenly glories to become poor. And I'm saying, I don't think this poverty is about merely the fact that He's a carpenter's son. But that He was incarnated as man, took on the form of the servant, and humbled Himself to the cross. That is what Paul spoke about in Philippians 2. That great descent, that great forsaking of glory and joy in the heavens to die on the cross, humiliated and tortured on the cross. That is what Paul is talking about.

And He did all that so that through Jesus, we might become rich. Again, I'm saying to you, the riches that are being spoken of in this verse, it's not about how you can have your good class bungalow or your Ferraris. It's not about material wealth but spiritual wealth. That we are now no more aliens and enemies of God. That we are now forgiven of our sins. We are reconciled with God. We are adopted into His family. We are the children, the sons and daughters of the Living God. That we today are heirs and co-heirs with Christ. We will have everything Jesus has in time to come.

You have been generously dealt with. Wow! If you have tasted this, then you can be generous to others.

I think Paul talks about this richness in 1 Corinthians. For all things are yours... the world or life or death or the present or the future - all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. Romans 8 tells us that we are heirs and co-heirs with Christ. We are co-inheritors with Christ. All that Christ inherits will be what you and I inherit. Stunning and amazing.

You see, this is what the Gospel is all about. And this is what makes the Gospel absolutely shine and stand out. Because every religion, generally is saying: you give to your deity, you sacrifice, you be generous to others. And then perhaps your deity would see your good heart and accept you and receive you. You be good first, you be generous first. Then maybe your God will like you.

You know what Christianity is about? Complete opposite. Christianity says you can never be generous and good. You are so sinful, so selfish, so wrapped up in yourself; you cannot be generous.

But let me tell you this. I will be generous to you. While you are yet enemies, while you are yet sinners, I'm going to send My Son to die for you. He's going to bless you with everything when you deserve nothing but My wrath. I'm going to bring you into My family. I'm going to change your life, clean you up. And I will let you inherit all things. And when you taste of My grace - this magnanimous, generous grace of God, when your heart has been changed, then you can be a blessing to others. Then you can be generous to others.

I love you not because you are lovely. I love you so that you can be lovely. And that is what the Bible, the Gospel is all about.

Like I said, as a church, we don't make a hobby horse out of preaching giving financially by God's people. In six years or so, I think this is the first time I'm focusing on the message on giving.

But let me tell you what we talk about every Sunday. The grace of God in Jesus Christ. Every week we want to remind you, we want to tell you, God is so generous and magnanimous, He gave His Son to die for your sins. And He's saying to you, if you repent, if you know that you have sinned, if you know that you cannot save yourselves, then come, turn to Jesus Christ, receive this gift that you may be saved. And this is our genuine wish and prayer for you, if you are not yet a Christian, a child of God.

But if you are a Christian today, and you hear a message like this and you say, Lord, help me to be truly generous. What should I do? Where do I start? Should I look up all the charities in Singapore? Should I should I give all the money to church? Should should I just free.. what should I do? How can I be generous today?

I say to you, the first thing you need to do is to drink in the Gospel. It's to remind yourself of the grace of God because that's where it all begins. That's why we read our Bibles, that's why we go for prayer. That's why we gather in Gospel communities so that we may be drinking in, reminding ourselves, being strengthened in our understanding of God's love for us in Jesus Christ. Press these truths deeply into our hearts, that we may then freely give ourselves as servants unto God. And then and only then can real grace-driven generosity flow through your life.

God wants you and I to be a blessing in this world. He doesn't want us to be grabbers. He wants us to know how rich we are in Him. Then we can be free to be truly generous to the people, to the needy around us. And I pray as a church, we would do likewise.

This week I had different meetings with different groups of brethren in this church. And I'm so blessed when I hear people speak, when I hear people talk, when people talk about lives and people and leaders in this church. You know what I hear this week? I hear about leaders who are generous, who give because He just wants to give and when nobody else knows about it. I hear about servant leaders who do things quietly. And I say, thank You God, because I think that's grace. Nothing to do with the stature or the intelligence or the role the person has played in society but just that humble servant heartedness. That's what church should be about.

I hope Gospel Light will live a counter-cultural life. That people when they watch us and see and hear about the amazing generosity here, would sit up and take notice and say, surely God is real in their lives. May this be true, may there be many, many, many octopuses here in Gospel Light, so that people may be drawn to Him. Let's bow for a word of prayer.

Father, we thank You this morning. Whilst this is a passage about our giving, ultimately it is anchored and rooted in Your great giving to us. Thank You for this amazing grace when You sent Your Son Jesus to die for our sins. And we pray for friends and loved ones today who may not know Jesus as yet, please work in their hearts that they will not defy You, but they will be humble and receive the gift of eternal life.

We pray for our church, that we will be a people who will be regularly drinking in this Gospel, so that we may then live out this Gospel and earn the right to give out the Gospel. Press these truths deep in our hearts, change us in the inner man. Help us to excel in this act of grace, so that the world may know we are Your disciples. So bless each one. O Lord, take my life and let it be, wholly consecrated, Lord to Thee. We pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.


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