Download The Steward Lifestyle 2Cor8_3

“The Steward’s Lifestyle”
St. John's - East Moline
2 Corinthians 8:3-8
10/20/13
The Bible verse for our final reflection upon Living Each Day as a Steward, is found in 2 Corinthians 8:3-7: “For [the
Macedonians] gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us
earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves
first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should
complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all
earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to
prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
Intro.: You are probably familiar with terms like "raising the bar" and "setting the pace." Both phrases convey the
concept that in athletics one's level of performance can be raised by the challenge of a higher goal or a better
competitor. For nearly 2000 years the congregations of Macedonia have been held up as an example of what it
means to live each day as stewards of God's blessings. They are the ones who have raised the bar and set the pace
for all the rest of us; challenging us to prove the genuineness of our love.
St. Paul highlights three noteworthy aspects of the giving of the Macedonians that offer us a standard by which
to evaluate ourselves and our own giving.
I. The Motivation And Extent Of Stewardship.
A. The first is that they gave even beyond their ability. These were, by no means, wealthy people. The
Macedonian congregations were experiencing hard times, but despite their own deep poverty they gave
generously. This was because they did not give as they were able. Instead, they gave as they were enabled by the
Holy Spirit and the joy of their salvation.
B. Which brings us to the second thing about the Macedonian's, and that is that they wanted to give. They never
felt pressured. They did not give their gifts reluctantly. They gave of their own free will because of the overflowing
joy they had in Christ. So much so, that even though Paul and Timothy tried to restrain them they “begged” for the
privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. They enjoyed the grace of God and wanted to express their
fellowship in that grace with their fellow saints through generosity. They found happiness by robbing themselves
for the sake of others.
Illustrate: It is kind of like the story of a young man who was away at college enjoying his life when the Great
Depression began. When the stock market crashed his family called him home. The firm his father owned was
bankrupt and his parents had lost their home.
When he returned the young man was given the task of helping to collect some back debts owed to his family.
On his first call he climbed the broken steps of an old dilapidated house. He knocked and two small children came
to the door. They were dirty and their clothes were like rags. He asked, “Is anybody home?”
“I am,” they both answered as a third child entered the room. Just then a worn and tired looking mother came
into the room. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked.
The man hesitated. He felt it was useless to try to collect anything from a family living in such poverty. Finally,
he pulled his last two-dollar bill from his pocket. He handed it to the woman and said, “It’s for the kids to see the
circus,” and he left.
That young man went on to become a successful building contractor. As he reflected on that early experience,
he said, “I felt so uplifted about that small gift that I’ve continued the policy. God helped me develop a lifestyle of
giving. I didn’t plan it that way, but the more I give, the more I seem to get back in return. That’s God’s promise in
regards to giving.”
C. In the words of our text, St. Paul refers to those who gave willingly according to their means and beyond. The
result was that God blessed them abundantly - not just in the return of wealth, but in the joy of giving and serving
and becoming a blessing to others. It was true then, it was during the Great Depression, and it is now.
Transition: These are the first two aspects of giving that we can learn from our Macedonian brothers and sisters:
giving even beyond our means and giving willingly. But there is a third that is also important.
II. Where Stewardship Begins - God First.
A. And it is this one that took Paul and Timothy by surprise. St. Paul writes that they didn’t do “as we expected,
but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” They gave themselves first to God and
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then to His ministers. By God's grace, and the working of the Holy Spirit, they had become people who lived by
faith and not by sight. Their whole life was surrendered to God and His will for them. All their thoughts and
desires, words and deeds, and all that they had was given into the absolute care of God. Having done this first,
then whatever service they rendered to Paul and Timothy, and whatever amount they gave, large or small, was
made acceptable because it was given from the right attitude.
B. God’s Word and Sacraments that we receive here, in our worship, are His means of grace through which He
empowers us to give ourselves to Him. This is where the Holy Spirit enables us to live by faith and not by sight, and
to surrender ourselves entirely to our Heavenly Father's love and mercy. When this happens we transformed, so
that we become givers rather than takers and made into people who use our lives, gifts, and all that we have in
service as God's stewards. When we become self-giving people, God is pleased because what He really wants,
more than anything is not what we have to give, but us - our hearts, souls, and minds. What we give is just the
natural fruit of a living faith, an indicator that we have given ourselves to the Lord, and the proof that our love is
genuine.
C. St. Paul’s calls upon us, just as he did the Corinthians, to check the bar and the pace of the Macedonians to see
if we as individuals are dead and fruitless or alive and fruit-bearing. If our faith is dead, we will have little or no
response to Christ’s love or to the needs of others. Are any of you here this morning/evening dead? I'm not
talking about what you once were, "dead in trespasses and sins", but what you are now by God's grace. The fact
that none of you raised your hands when I asked, must mean that you claim to be alive. You believe that God has
made you alive through Christ Jesus, who died for your sins and was raised again to declare you righteous and to
grant you salvation. Good! You believe that He saved you and gave you a new life through the washing of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit in your baptism. Wonderful! That new life is what it is all about - it is Christ's
purpose in saving us and the goal of the Gospel, as we state in our explanation to the second article: "that I may be
[Christ's] own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and
blessedness." That is what it means to be alive in Christ, to live a new life!
D. And yet, some of us aren’t as responsive to Christ’s love and His purpose in saving us as we could be. Maybe
some of our family members are like those in the Corinthian congregation to whom Paul was writing - their way of
life does not quite match the faith they confess. Maybe some of us are alive, but sleeping, and need to be
awakened.
That is why the Gospel is proclaimed - to bring life to those who are spiritually dead. That is why we come to
worship, attend Bible Class, and do our daily devotions, so that we may be awakened from our sleep and energized
to work while the daylight of God's grace is still shining. That is why we, with the Macedonians before us, plead for
the opportunity to share in the ministry to the saints through our gifts and acts of service. That is why we give
ourselves first to the Lord, then to His called servants who share His Word with us, so that the Lord may complete
His work among us - so that we may excel in everything -in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in
love - and that we may also excel in this act of grace, the act of giving.
Concl.: I know that it is true - You are alive in Christ! You are His to live under Him in His kingdom! Now, let it
show. Leap over the bar and keep the pace that has been set for you. Give yourselves first to God, then willingly
give as you are able and even beyond in service to Christ. I say this not as a command, but so that you may have
the opportunity to prove that your love for the One who first loved you is genuine. So, go on- prove it, by raising
the bar and picking up the pace. Amen.
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