Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
July 16, 2023
INTRO
C.S. Lewis wrote in his classic book Mere Christianity, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
In other words, you and I were made to live for something (or someone!) bigger than ourselves. We were designed and created for a purpose: To serve the true King and to know his Kingdom.
Our topic this morning is worship. We are walking through some foundational truths about the Christian faith in our Summer Seminars series. I want to start our time this morning with a framing thought: “God created you with a capacity for awe.”
Pastor and biblical counselor Paul David Tripp wrote a book called Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think, Say, and Do.
He says that we are created with an awe capacity. This capacity for awe is unique and it is a central part of what makes us image-bearers of God. And this ability to be awe-struck is powerful. It can be aimed in the right direction and lead to life and godliness and a proper sense of humility and surrender to the Lord. Or it can be aimed in the wrong direction and result is the worship of self, the pursuit of success, or giving yourself to the false promises and flawed powers of this world.
Paul Tripp says that “Where you look for awe will shape the direction of your life.” Think about that. Where do you look for awe? Or to whom do you look for awe?
You see, this is the challenge for us: Misplaced awe will keep you forever dissatisfied. It will leave you self-centered, fearful, angry, envious, exhausted, and discontented.
We’ve been looking at the big picture of the Bible in this series, and ever since the Garden of Eden awe of God has been replaced with awe of self.
ILLUST — The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “Since man fell in the garden, he has too often sought for his enjoyments where the serpent finds his.”
It matters where our awe is directed. This is the central concern of the human heart, and sin is in many ways misplaced awe because what we worship determines our thoughts and actions.
You see, Spurgeon says that the sweetest joy in all of life is to know God. It is God himself who is the great object of our joy. When our circumstances leave us feeling that we cannot rejoice in anything else, we rejoice in the One who is unchangeably joy-giving. Spurgeon wrote, “He is everything to us—our joy, our hope, our all. Our joy depends, not upon what we are in ourselves, but upon what He is in Himself.”
This is the heart of worship. Worship is what we are made for; worship is the calling of our whole lives, every part of who we are.
And in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are going to see this morning that a life of worship is a life of generosity. Awe of God and his blessings in the gospel brings about a sense of gratitude, and gratitude results in a response of generosity. We become generous because God is generous! He has lavished us with his grace in Christ. And in turn we praise Him, and share his goodness with others.
Open with me to 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. We are going to look at a case study in worship and generosity. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth to frame their whole lives in the truth of the gospel. He wanted their thoughts and actions to come into fruitful obedience to God in light of his grace lavished upon them.
At this time the church in Jerusalem was suffering. Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted harshly by their Jewish family and friends. There was already a famine in the region that started in the year AD 46 under Emperor Claudius, which we know from Acts 11:27-30. And now these Jews who began following Jesus were ostracized by their families and alienated in the marketplace. Their support network was gone, and they needed help. So Paul collected gifts and raised money to help these believers who were struggling.
This passage is an example of how Paul takes a practical problem and the opportunity to provide tangible assistance, and he reframes the entire situation in light of the gospel. He reshapes this to become a matter of worship and witness.
Let’s read: READ 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.
ORG SENT — This passage is about worship and witness. There are three parts to this text that reveal how our awe of the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ results in generosity. We’re going to look at The Goal, The Giver, and The Gift.
MAIN 1 — The Goal: Generosity (vv. 6-9). (SLIDE 2a)
Paul begins by taking the problem of the hungry and needy Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and making sure these believers in Corinth have the proper perspective. They aren’t merely giving to a practical need. He isn’t going to twist their arms. He doesn’t want them to do it out of obligation or with reluctance. Instead, he desires that they view this situation through the lens of generosity. And this is connected to their worship of God. (SLIDE 2b)
He begins with a simple principle in verse 6: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously (bountifully) will also reap generously.”
The key word in this sentence is the word “generously” or “bountifully.” This is the Greek word “eulogy”. (SLIDE 2c) When you hear that word, you’re probably thinking about a funeral. A eulogy is where someone says a few nice words about the deceased.
Well, this word “eulogy” in Greek is much richer. It is a powerful word and it refers to the praise or blessing that we give someone. (SLIDE 2d) In the Bible, this word is directed toward God. It is about our praise of God! Or it can be used of God’s blessings to us in Christ.
This word is about awe. It is a word that describes the lavish grace of God to us in Christ, and the gratitude and praise we give back to God. In other words, it is a word about worship.
Why did Paul use this word in this context? Why use a word about worship when talking about giving money to help people in need?
In verse 6 when this word is used in the context of the metaphor about sowing seeds, it is communicating the manner in which you do something. Whoever sows “in the manner of blessing” or “in the manner of bounty” or “in the manner of generosity” will reap an awe-inspiring harvest. (SLIDE 2e)
But there’s one more layer to this word: It is a manner in which you do something, but it is done with the intention that the blessing may be felt by others. (SLIDE 2f) It has a purpose: To bless God and to bless others. Sowing generously is a self-giving act, not a self-serving act! It is seeking the good of others, not yourself. It is ultimately a heart issue.
This is why Paul talks in verse 7 about giving from a cheerful heart, not reluctantly or out of compulsion. When it comes to obeying God, the condition of our hearts is paramount.
ILLUST — The great pastor-theologian Jonathan Edwards preached often about this very issue. The heart of obedience is not summoning the will to do what we don’t want to do. Rather, obedience is fruit. It is the outward results of inner transformation.
Jonathan Edwards used this concept when preaching about justification by faith, and it launched revivals in New England in the 1700s. Obedience doesn’t cause our salvation; it is the fruit of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
In other words, obedience does not come from our own power to do what we don’t want to do. Obedience comes as we live out of a new delight in God. It comes as we find our awe in God.
ILLUST — C.S. Lewis put it this way. He said that when it comes to obeying God, there are actually three kinds of people:
Those who disobey — You live for yourself.
Those who obey from a wrong heart — You try to live for God, but your life is divided. You are constantly negotiating every thought and action, weighing how you can balance your will and God’s will, trying to do enough to obey God while still withholding some for yourself.
Lewis compares this kind of obedience to paying taxes. He says that we often obey God with the same attitude as paying taxes, as though we have to obey God or else we will get in trouble, reluctantly giving God his share, negotiating life in such a way as to maximize what we get to keep for ourselves.
KEY — “Members of the second group (to which most of belong) are always unhappy.” In other words, this negotiating of wills, this kind of reluctance or negotiating will leave you either guilty or unsatisfied.
Those who obey from a right heart — There is no longer any divide; these people have crucified the old self. “The will of Christ no longer limits theirs; it is theirs.”
How do you know if you’re operating in the new self, aligned with the will of Christ? It is when you find yourself in awe of the generous God who redeemed you, and you begin to be generous with others.
MAIN 2 — The Giver: God Is Generous (vv. 10-11). (SLIDE 3a)
This is where Paul makes sure we have things in the right order. He says very plainly: God is generous. He has blessed you to be a blessing. (SLIDE 3b)
This is critical because it guards us against the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel will tell you that you obey God so that you will be blessed. It is a transaction that begins with me doing something for God and then expecting a blessing in return. If I am obedient, I will succeed and I will gain wealth and standing. If I am needy, it is because I am not obeying enough or I haven’t given enough to my church.
ILLUST — I heard an example of this in a large church in the Bay Area. They were doing a fundraising campaign and the pastor said, “Give to our campaign and if you don’t see God bless you miraculously in the next 90 days we will give your money back.”
This is toxic because it makes ME the center! It is about ME receiving a benefit from God. It is not worship, it is not sacrifice, it is not generosity. It is awe of self.
Just look at verse 11 again. READ v. 11. (SLIDE 3c) The order is critical:
God blessed you. (SLIDE 3d)
So that you can be generous. (SLIDE 3e)
Resulting in thanksgiving to God. (SLIDE 3f)
KEY: God is the initiator and giver and the generous One. He lavishes us with blessings, however small and seemingly meaningless. Our calling is to be like him, the generous one, to be generous with others in an act of worship to God. This is what the kingdom of God looks like, and it is what kind of witness the world needs to see so that the gospel of Jesus Christ shines through.
MAIN 3 — The Gift: The Gospel (vv. 12-15). (SLIDE 4a)
Remember, this passage is about worship and witness.
Worship (SLIDE 4b) — READ v. 12. It is not merely meeting a practical need. It is causing others to rejoice and worship God!
Witness (SLIDE 4c) — READ v. 13. Others will rejoice because of your generosity. This is the missional element of being generous, when we live consistently with our confession of God’s own generosity to us in the gospel, and then we extend that love and generosity to others in word and deed. We point to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You see, the reason Paul re-focuses the Corinthians’ attention on the indescribable gift we have in Jesus Christ, realizing that he died for us while we were still sinners, undeserving and inadequate to save ourselves, is that Paul knows something as practical as money reveals who or what we worship.
ILLUST — I mentioned Paul David Tripp earlier. He wrote another book I would highly recommend called Redeeming Money: How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts.
He says in this book that “money is one of the principle ways you demonstrate who you think you are.” He recognizes that money is a strong indicator to reveal where our awe is directed. (SLIDE 4d) Some of the central sicknesses of our culture are ingratitude, discontentment, and envy. We’ve placed our awe in false saviors, and we throw our money at them in hopes that we will be satisfied. But Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve both God and money.” In other words, who captures your devotion? King Jesus or King Money?
You see, Paul uses this moment when the Corinthians are considering whether they will give generously to the ministry of the church in order to address a deeper question about their hearts: (SLIDE 4d) The opportunity to give is an opportunity to grow in awe of God’s goodness toward us in Christ.
When we truly grasp our spiritual poverty, that we were lost and dead in sin, and that God has lavished his grace upon us through Christ’s death and resurrection and the new birth, the only proper response is worship. The only proper response is a life of worshipful generosity, to lavish praise and blessing back to God through serving him with everything we hold dear and making ourselves available for his Kingdom purposes.
Friends, worshipful generosity affects everything we say and do. It is a lifestyle of investing in God’s Kingdom. It is a heart that is tuned to God’s ways. It changes our perspective, it brings God glory, and it causes others to praise God.
ILLUST — When Mike and Kari Haege visited Malawi last year, they heard about the difficulties that the local people have in getting the resources to grow the crops they need to survive. The country of Malawi is experiencing a famine, and they just had major flooding across much of the southern part of the country. Food is scarce and people are struggling.
They met a man named Chifuniro Chinkhunzie (they call him Chief!). Mike gave him $100 to invest in his farm. He grows maize, a staple food in Malawi.
He was able to buy fertilizer and other supplies, causing his maize crop to flourish this year. They harvested hundreds of pounds of maize, far beyond what he would normally be able to grow. They have over 50 gigantic bags full of maize, and these will likely be worth over $50 each by December. That $100 has turned into over $2500!
Chifuniro’s stewardship of this gift, investing it in growing a crop, has yielded a harvest that not only feeds him and his family and gives them financial security, but has overflowed to be a blessing to the surrounding community and become an investment as these seeds will produce crops far into the future.
KEY: (SLIDE 5a) Fruitfulness is meant to spread seeds for exponential growth. That’s what fruit is for! God has been generous to us in the gospel, and when we sow seeds generously for the Kingdom, he can cause exponential growth that far exceeds all we ask or imagine.
Here are two challenges for you:
(SLIDE 5b) Sow generously into God’s Kingdom — If you’re not giving to the work of God’s kingdom, start now. If you’re already giving, re-evaluate to see if you can be more generous. Think about the Kingdom impact you could make. Think about the people who need to know Christ. Be like the Parable of the Sower, scattering seeds of the gospel generously, anticipating a harvest for God’s glory.
(SLIDE 5c) Give God your first and best — The Bible frequently talks about giving God the firstfruits of our resources. This means God gets first priority, not our leftovers. Check your heart with this. Growing in awe of God will flip this around in your heart. And it will transform your understanding of worship, moving you from obligation and reluctance to generosity and anticipation of what God will do.
Questions:
In what ways has God been generous to you?
What are the proper responses to God’s generous grace through the gospel?
What change needs to happen in your life in order for your heart to find rest in God?
Prayerfully consider how you can grow in awe of God, generosity toward others, and kingdom-minded stewardship.
Resources for Later:
Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think, Say, and Do – Paul David Tripp
Redeeming Money: How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts – Paul David Tripp
Money, Possessions, and Eternity – Randy Alcorn