II Corinthians 9:6

Let's go to the word of the Lord. I want to share with you in about 30 minutes that we have left, the Second Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. There in verse 6, the Apostle Paul says: “... but this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one, say all, each one, see as he proposed in his heart, not with sadness or out of necessity, because God loves a cheerful giver. And powerful is God to make all grace abound in you so that always having everything sufficient in all things, you may abound for every good work."

And let me now read in Spanish just to speed up the process. This is the essence, what I just read of what I am going to preach. It says “.... as it is written, he distributed, he gave to the poor his justice remains forever. And he who gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater will provide and multiply your seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness so that you may be enriched in everything, for all liberality which produces through us thanksgiving to God." The Lord bless his word.

In these last few weeks we have taken time out of preaching to, as you have seen, establish a biblical foundation for this financial campaign that we are carrying out. In raising money for any cause we have wanted to follow a biblical pattern in doing so. We have wanted to honor the Lord and his spirit and we have not wanted to use mental or emotional manipulation techniques. We have also wanted to raise your level of faith and your vision. We have not wanted to raise money so much for a brick and steel building, but rather for the mission that that building is to make possible.

Samuel said in a sermon not long ago that God was not raising up a building so much as a town. And also another of the principles that we have wanted to follow is that by giving to the Lord for this particular cause, what we are actually doing is entering into a pattern of life. Giving to the Lord is not so much an act as a lifestyle. It is something we continually do as we see how God blesses us by being generous to him and his kingdom. There are people who perhaps say: but, pastor, you are talking too much about money. What we do is establish a project and then we have tried to concentrate our energies for a while to carry out that project. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke on many occasions about money. He was not afraid to use possessions and money as a way of interpreting the degree of commitment of people to the Kingdom of God. Throughout the Scriptures we have numerous references about how money and material goods are related to the spirituality of people.

Recently as I considered this time of campaign finance, I did a mental run through of texts that I thought were appropriate, would be appropriate for different sermons, and I want to tell you that at home I have a list of about thirty texts that each of them seems to me. They are ideal for a sermon on different aspects of stewardship. But for your relief I want to let you know that I am not going to preach 30 sermons on this subject. But what did become clear to me is that throughout all of Scripture this theme comes up over and over again, that as we relate to money and material possessions, so will our relationship with the Lord and his kingdom. I have taken comfort in knowing that the Apostle Paul probably won me over in financial campaigns. The Apostle Paul was not afraid to be very direct when it came to raising funds for his missionary work. And in fact whenever possible whenever we have raised funds through the years, the Apostle Paul, I have wanted him to be my mentor in terms of the methodology that I use to raise funds, and in times of financial scandals in the Kingdom of God is more important than ever that those of us who raise funds for that Kingdom do so with integrity.

I recently heard about a huge scandal going on right now in the US, about one of the largest evangelistic ministries in the world. A very unflattering report on how this ministry handles the funds it receives. I wouldn't dare deny how God has used this ministry to spread the Gospel, but from what we can see they could have been a little more careful in their use of money and the image of integrity with money they have projected to the world. And that is why it is important not that we stop asking for the Lord's cause, but rather that we do it in a way that is in accordance with the principles of God's word.

If we quickly go to Second Corinthians, Chapter 9 and even Chapter 8, we can review some of those concepts. I don't know if I will be able to achieve everything I want this morning, but I am sure that what we are going to play will be a blessing for your life. And you will see that many of the principles that we have pointed out in recent weeks, the Apostle Paul uses in his own financial campaign. Chapters 8 and 9 of Second Corinthians enter us into one of those financial campaigns of the Apostle. He is raising funds for the saints in a very needy area and for example in verse 3 talking about the Macedonians, in Chapter 8. It says here: “...I bear witness that they have given according to their strength and still beyond his strength."

Here are a couple of principles of how to give to the Lord. The Apostle Paul says “they have given with pleasure, first of all. In other words, brothers, when we give to the Lord, we have to do it with joy. It must be given to the Lord because it is a privilege to give to the Lord. And it also says that they have given according to their strength. In other words many of us the Lord is calling us to give according to the ability we have financially to give. And in this campaign finance we don't want anyone to feel like they're being forced into heroics. And when you sign or fill out your pledge card, do it in a way that feels good to you on your conscience.

But the Apostle Paul also says that they gave beyond their strength. I dare to say that this is the way that pleases the Lord the most when we give to him. We have talked about giving to the Lord in the zone of discomfort. We have seen how the Lord many times calls us to stretch ourselves beyond what in our reason we think it is feasible to give to the Lord. And those who know the principles of faith know that faith often begins where reason begins to shake. And many times the reasoning of faith will go far above the reasoning of reason and intellect. And that is why God asks many times that we dare to go to that zone of discomfort as the Macedonians did. These Macedonians also begged with many pleas to be granted the privilege of participating in this service. God willing that with the passing of the years our church comes to be made up of people who are always asking him: Lord, give me opportunities to give to advance your kingdom.

In verse 7 of that same Chapter, the Apostle Paul says: “as you abound in everything, in faith, word, knowledge and in your love, abound also in this grace”. And here we see something that the Lord is not only given with feelings and words, but is given with specific actions. It is very easy to say yes to the Lord's call to love God with all our hearts and with all our strength. But the Lord has said that he who loves money cannot love God in the same way, because you cannot love two masters. So love indicates that we also have to translate it into acts of love specifically towards the Lord.

And there are many other principles here, for example in verse 12 it says: “because if there is a willing will first, it will be accepted according to what one has, not according to what one does not have”. This willingness is very important. Because here we see something and it is that the Apostle Paul has been preparing the Christians of this region so that when the time comes to ask for the offering they are ready intellectually and volitionally. And this is what we have wanted to do throughout these weeks, is to prepare you so that when the time comes to deliver your offerings, you will know why and how you are doing it. Because many times giving to the Lord is not only a matter of affection, but also a decision of the will and discipline, which is done.

Now in verse 6 of Chapter 9 we enter the text that I just read a little while ago. The Apostle Paul establishes a principle that we have already heard in many ways, he says: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. When I read texts like these, the concept of grace versus works immediately comes to mind. We know that salvation is by grace, but do you know that once you have entered the domain of the kingdom by grace, the degree of growth, productivity and blessing that you achieve will depend on the extent to which you you strive and invest in the Kingdom of the Lord. In other words, once we are already saved, there is a part of the effort and investment that God expects us to make. The blessings that we achieve in the Kingdom of God, the spiritual understanding of the Kingdom of God will depend a lot on our own efforts.

That is why the Lord Jesus Christ says “ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you." In other words, in the Kingdom of God the answer depends a lot on the initial action on our part. And as we invest our money and our time and energy in the Kingdom of God, so will be our spiritual and personal benefit. I would rather call this concept of sowing, in modern language, investing. The investor invests an amount because he knows that through a complex process that amount invested will multiply and return to him in growth. And so we, the children of the kingdom, use what God has given us, we invest it and it blesses the Kingdom of God as well as it blesses us. And it is not that we try to manipulate God or establish a mechanical relationship of the returns on our investments, but it is simply a matter of inserting ourselves into a dynamic that God himself has established in his word. God says: if you sow little, you will reap little. If you sow a lot you will reap a lot in my kingdom. I cannot be more elegant or more generous than God. There are people who resent when preachers preach in these terms because they believe they have better theological capacity than the very God who wrote the Bible. They believe that they have a better theological capacity than God himself, and we have to see how God calls us to live the Christian life and to give to Him.

Now in verse 7 there are also a series of principles, he says : “each one” means, brothers and you know that one of the principles of this campaign has been that we, with the help of the Lord, have one hundred percent participation. I believe that all who are members of this church, and I am not referring to visitors or people who do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, understand that. But it says here that each one, referring to what, I believe that at this time I want to apply that in the sense that I call each one of my brothers to consider God's call for their lives at this time. Perhaps you will not be one of those 200 that will give those 5,000 dollars in two years, as we have asked, or perhaps you will not be one of those who will give more than 5,000 dollars in those two years and will give much more perhaps, as some have already promised, but I know that each one of us can give without a sense of shame or sorrow, according to what he feels that the Lord has placed in his heart. I beg you, brother or sister, that you give in that way, in a conscience with the Lord. Don't worry, no one is going to be judging: ah, he gave more, or he gave less. In the name of the Lord we reject that spirit right now. But yes, let's not lose sight of this principle of "each one" because the Lord wants each of us to carry his part of the Kingdom of God. And I wish we had more time to point this out, but I cannot fail in this that the studies that are done in all congregations suggest that only 20% of the congregation bears 80% of the responsibilities of that congregation. And I believe that the Lord's goal is that each one of us proportionally bears his share of responsibility for the maintenance of God's work. Because even if it's to please me, they don't say Amen to this, brothers. Glory of God. Amen.

So it says here that each of, that is, you have to give, at some point you have to take action. You have to take action, that is to say that at some point you have to move from the theoretical to the practical, in other words. And so we see here that it says "as he purposed in his heart." In other words, I invite you to reflect beforehand on what the Lord is calling me to give.

This idea of proposing in the heart suggests a degree of seriousness, of intentionality, giving to the Lord is something serious, it requires prior reflection. We must be clear in what we are doing. Do not take things lightly, because the things of the Lord are serious. So as he proposed in his heart, I want that when you bring your offering, you do it with a sense of reverence and seriousness of what you are doing before the Lord. And the Apostle Paul says "not sadly", in other words, brothers, not about how looking at that money is going to go away and you are going to be suffering: wow, what could you have done with that money! Don't see dollars with wings flying out of your bank account, in other words. The Lord cannot be given with sadness. We must give to the Lord with joy and joy. Love because God loves a cheerful giver.

And it also says "neither by necessity", I would say that the correct translation would be "nor by commitment", because I imagine that some think that: wow, if they don't see my card in that group of cards, what's the to think the shepherd? And I can see a deacon, some church leader: well, what else is left for me, if I want to continue in leadership I am going to have to give to these people. Well, I know that our deacons aren't, those people are first class, forget it, they're going to give. Amen, deacons, those who are around here.

Brethren, we do not give by compromise. Let's not give out of obligation in the sense that if I don't give, what will people think? Because let me tell you that the Lord reads hearts and if you are giving in that way, your offering is not going to please the Lord and you are wasting your money then. It is necessary that you give to the Lord for his church and therefore do it with joy, and with a sense of personal commitment, that is very important. God loves a cheerful giver. It is when we receive a gift, how good it is when they give us that gift with a big smile on their faces. How bad it is when people give us a gift and say: take it, what else. No, it is important that there is a sense of dedication from the heart and soul as well.

And there's a wonderful promise here in this passage that we shouldn't lose sight of. He says: "God is powerful to make all grace abound in you." I have discovered that in the Scriptures almost every time the Lord calls us to give generously, He also adds a word of promise. Because the Lord is good and merciful, and He says: my son, my daughter, do not worry, I am powerful to restore what you have given me. And we have always spoken, remember, in these last sermons that when we give to the Lord for any cause, we give from a perspective of sufficiency and not from a perspective of uncertainty or fear, because we see that God always says: don't worry, let You will lack nothing because I am your shepherd.

And here the Apostle Paul, after his sober warning about how we should give to the Lord, passes a little oil over our backs, where he has just lovingly whipped us. And he says: remember, that God has enough power to give you grace, that is, provision. And it says here "all grace", in other words the power of God to replenish what you give him is unlimited, in all dimensions.

And look here at the overabundant language of the Apostle. It says: "so that always having, in all things, everything sufficient, you may abound for every good work". In other words, there is a redundancy of the Lord's provision here. He gives us all grace, for every situation, always, in all things, all enough for us to abound in every good work. God promises: I will always give you in your life. and you know why? So that you can always do good in your life. Hallelujah! Because the Lord supplies us and gives us so that we can be channels of His grace, so that we can bless others with the knowledge that He gives us, with the talents that He gives us, with the energy that He gives us, with our professions. , with our bank account and our money. The Lord says: I am going to make sure that you always have everything you need so that you can give to others.

In other words, brothers, the Lord tells us: give. The Lord says to you and he says to me: give me, and do not be afraid. Don't give thinking about what you're going to lack, and don't give thinking about what they'll say if you don't give. Don't give sadly thinking about what you've lost, but give looking at me. I promise you that I am powerful to give you more than what you give me. May that be our feeling this morning and whenever we give to the cause of the Lord. Amen. Praise the Lord.

Let's stand up, brothers. We finished with our meeting. We are going to take a moment to internalize what we have just received, that part that you understand is from the Lord. Ask the holy spirit to engrave it within you, may the Lord integrate all of that into every part of your being. May we be joyful givers. For us to adopt that mentality, it's a wonderful lifestyle. That every time there is an opportunity to contribute to the cause of the Lord, God have in you and me a participant of good will, a willing participant. That we, brothers, can live in the area of the spirit and not so much in the area of matter, money, finances, because those who are of the spirit think about things primarily of the spirit. So this morning I receive the word of the Lord, which is my turn. And receive that same word, as the word of the Lord. Thank my Lord. Help us to be committed people. Help us to be good understanders of the principles that govern your kingdom and even the entire universe, because your word is faithful and true and you support those who support your kingdom. Thank you Lord, we participate in your system and give as you prescribe in your word. Thanks God. Thank my Lord. Give applause to the word of the Lord. May the Lord bless you.