Title:
The Glory of Giving
Text: 2
Corinthians 8: 16-24
Date:
November 5, 2017
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
2 Corinthians 8: 16: But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care
into the heart of Titus for you. 17:
For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own
accord he went unto you. 18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose
praise [commendation] is in the gospel throughout all the churches; 19: And not that only, but who
was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is
administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of
your ready mind: 20: Avoiding
this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by
us: 21: Providing for honest
things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22: And we have sent with them our
brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much
more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you. 23: Whether any do enquire of Titus,
he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be
enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory
of Christ. 24: Wherefore shew ye
to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting
on your behalf.
In verse
19 the gift “is administered by us to the
glory of the Lord.” In verse 21 the gift is administered
honestly—“in the sight of the Lord as well as in the sight of men.” In
verse 23, the messengers which
administered the gift are called—“the
glory of Christ.”
Our subject: The Glory of Giving
Proposition:
The saints who give the gift, the way in which it is administered and the
ministers who administer the gift are all the glory of Christ.
AMAZING TRUTH
Christ’s
people and this aspect of worship called giving is the glory of Christ.
We can
easily conceive how Christ is our crown of glory. Isaiah 28: 5: In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of
glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people. A
believer who receives all things in salvation from Christ our Redeemer, can
understand how the LORD of hosts is unto us a crown of glory and a diadem of
beauty. Christ is the glory of his
people in every sense of the word, and in every way, because Christ is All and
in all to us. He is our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption
so the believer that glories, glories only in the Lord.
But this
is what our text is saying. And this, to a believer, is amazing—Isaiah 62: 3: Thou shalt also be a crown of
glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. He is not describing what
God shall be to his church, but what we shall be to our God: “thou shalt be a
crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, Thou shalt be a royal diadem in the
hand of thy God.”
Our text
is not saying what Christ is to us but what
we are to Christ. Every sanctified child of God that Christ has made holy—is the glory of Christ. The way in which
we give—which is by the grace of Christ worked in us—is the glory of Christ. His messengers who administer the
gift—whose commendation and honesty is all of Christ—are the glory of Christ.
Like as a
king takes his crown in his hand and admires it as a display of his glory, our
text declares that Christ our King holds every believer in his hand and admires
his people as a display of his glory, in the way in which we provide for our
needy brethren.
His
people are not a crown upon his head because we do not add anything to Christ’s
glory. Every believer gives all the
glory to Christ for who he is and what he has done in saving us from our sins. We glorify him because he betrothed his
chosen Bride to himself before the world was made. We glorify him because he took flesh and dwelt among us and
redeemed us from the curse of the law. We
glorify him for giving us life in regeneration.
Yet we do
not add to Christ’s glory. Christ’s essential glory as God, can derive no additional glory from any of his creatures. We cannot add to Christ’s personal glory as the God-man nor to his glory in his works as God-Man-Mediator
Still, we
are a crown in his hand which he holds
up and admire. Isaiah 53: 11: He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. Robed in his righteousness, he sees in
his redeemed, righteous people the glory of his own travail, the glory of his workmanship,
the glory of his skill, his masterpieces—and he is satisfied
Psalm 19: 1: The heavens declare the glory of God; and
the firmament sheweth his handywork.
So does
Christ’s new creation—made perfect by his own blood. We are his glory, his
satisfaction, his happiness, his inheritance, his delight, the monument to his
love and grace. In our Election –we
are the glory of his sovereignty and grace–(Rom. 9:15-16). In our Redemption –we are the glory of his Mercy and Truth met
together in harmony – (Ps. 85:10-11; Pro. 16:6) In our regeneration—we are the glory of his power and grace (Eph 1:
19-20; 2:1-4) In our Preservation –we
are the glory of his Wisdom and Goodness (Jude 1) In our Perseverance –we are the glory of his Immutability and Love
– Phil. 3:6 In our Resurrection – we are
and shall be the glory of his Life and Power – (John 5:28). In our
Glorification – we shall be the glory of his sovereign purpose and
unchanging love– (Rom. 8:28-31)
CHRIST GLORY IN GIVING
Proverbs 10:1:…A wise son maketh a glad father: but a
foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
I tell my
children when they are out in the world to remember my name is upon them. If
they behave foolishly it will bring dishonor to my name. But what they do wisely will be my glory—a
testimony to how I raised them, to my and their mother’s workmanship. So it is
with those Christ has made wise.
2 Corinthians 8: 16: But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care
into the heart of Titus for you.
The
earnest care of his people toward one another is Christ’s glory because he put
that care there. The earnest care his people have for one another is of Christ
and so it is a reflection of Christ’s earnest care for his people. Titus “accepted the exhortation” and was “forward-willing, of his own accord, and went to Corinth” to
finish this work. Our Lord Jesus was
earnest in his care for his people—
Hebrews 12:2…[Christ is] the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set before him [he accepted the exhortation of
the Father to save his people and being much willing, of his own accord, Christ
came unto us and] endured the cross, despising the shame, and [finished the
work of perfecting us by his one offering] is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God.
A father
and mother are well-pleased and take delight in seeing their children care for
one another because it reflects their care for them and their teaching them to
care for one another. We are Christ’s glory because he put that care in our
hearts and it reflects his care for his people.
2 Corinthians 8: 18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose
praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; 19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of
the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration
of your ready mind: 20: Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this
abundance which is administered by us: 21: Providing for honest things, not only
in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
Also, the
way in which we administer our gifts is the glory of Christ. This faithful
brother chosen and entrusted to go with them with this gift—is the glory of
Christ—chosen of God and faithful, entrusted
with the gift of ministering to his people unsearchable riches.
They sent
multiple brethren so no man could blame them—this is Christ’s glory—it reflects
his glory. When Christ administered abundantly to us, throughout his earthly
ministry, “no man could blame Christ”—he
“Provided for honest things, not only in
the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.” In his suffering he
manifest God’s integrity and honesty—that the Judge of all the earth always
does right. He is so righteous that he will not show mercy at the expense of
his justice. In Christ, he upheld justice and justified his people providing us honest things.
Proverbs 12:4: A virtuous woman is a crown to her
husband:
Christ
makes his bride a virtous woman and she is a crown of glory to Christ our
Husband.
KNOWING THESE THINGS
Believer,
knowing that Christ’s people are his glory, his crown, second to Christ, his
people, should be our primary concern. Let us give ourselves—using all that
Christ has given us—to send forth his gospel to gather jewels for his crown. No
cost is too great, no labor too demanding, when we know we are Christ’s glory
as instruments in his hands to gather out of this earth jewels for our Savior’s
crown of glory. What a crown of glory in Christ’s hand you and I will be if he
uses us to bring the gospel to just one sinner in this earth whom he calls out.
Knowing
we are Christ’s glory let us give generously to help one another in every time
of need with all honesty and integrity—even as Christ ministers abundantly and
honestly toward us in his saving work of grace.
Knowing
we are “a crown of glory” and “a diadem of beauty” in Christ’s hand, let us
take care how we represent him in this world.
Philippians 2: 15:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the
midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the
world; 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may
rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in
vain.
Philippians 4: 1: Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved
and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
Amen!