Taking Care of Things

Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

  1. Identity Shapes Capacity

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:1  “We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia:”
  2. Genesis 1:26–28  “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.””

  1.  Responsibility Creates Opportunity

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:2  “During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”
  2. 2 Corinthians 8:5  “and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will.”
  3. Matthew 25:21  ““His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’”
  4. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20  “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.”

  1.  Grace Empowers Ability

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:3–4  “I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,”
  2. Deuteronomy 8:18  “but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

  1. Stewardship Unlocks Joy

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:2–4  “During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,”