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In. What do you say we, we stand up and and and start praising together in song? Here's a psalm from one Psalm one zero three. It's bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that's within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not his benefits.
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Let's not forget what the Lord has done. Let's not forget his tender mercies, his kindness toward us, and let's sing to him.
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Alright. Bless the Lord. Sing. Worship his holy name. Soon like never before, oh, my soul I worship your home.
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And on that day and on that day when my strength is free, the end draws me in and my time has come. Worship your holy name. I worship your holy name.
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God, we've come to meet with you and to give praise to you. Would you wipe the sleep from our eyes, wake us up, and turn our affection toward you. Christ's name. Amen. You all can have a seat if you like.
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So I've got a couple of announcements this morning, and I've got a couple other folks. The tough guys and drama queens, that was a couple weeks ago or last weekend, I should say. We did this tough guys and drama queens parenting seminar for parents of teenagers and those that would be. The only thing that was lacking was more people. It was fantastic.
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It was really, really good. So, we have we recorded the audio of that and it's available both days. Also, he left behind some books for they're back there in the back and Melissa Ripley and Kurt Ripley are back there. If you want to ask them about em, they're back there. Tough Guys and Drama Queens, Mark Gregston from Heartlight Ministries.
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It was really, really good, good time last week and the audio should be up on the internet by tomorrow. Okay. Monday nights at first B is tomorrow also. 6PM. Carl is preaching through Philippians.
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He is getting towards the end of first the first chapter and it's really good. Meal music and a message. You can count on every Monday night here down the hall in Fellowship Hall. Solid Rock Student Ministry, Renzi, what's on for this week?
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Business as usual.
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I'm okay.
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We've got middle school on Thursday, breakfast on Friday.
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Alright. 06:30 on Thursday, 07:30AM on Friday for breakfast.
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You got it.
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And if you are a middle school or a high schooler, there is a class that's going on for you during the preaching time here, either in my office for the guys or downstairs for the girls. I think you know where you're supposed to go. Follow the crowd. Great joy. Good news.
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There's a wrapping party for the Operation Christmas Child boxes, and you can see down at the other end of the hall, there's a pile of boxes down there. That's always a good time to get together. I have a note for some of those things. Look for decent stuff, okay? Look for good things to donate for Operation Christmas Child this year.
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Understanding the rules of how these things get out. I don't think I've ever understood them but if you want to go on their website and look and try to put in one kind of wow item for each box, that'd be great. Watches with long lasting batteries for some reason is a really really popular item. So, things like that but we're going to get together and wrap here on Wednesday. That's this Wednesday, November 18 from six to eight and today, Melissa Landis, who is one of our very own missionaries, she'll be here during the connect hour to meet and answer any questions about her continued ministry with Crossroads in Durban and so that'll be after this service before the next and we're supposed to have a discovery class in my office.
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Renzi?
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She also has a video. I was
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just gonna tell you that. Thank you. Yep. Good to know. I appreciate that.
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She actually told me that already, but thanks. Is that coming up next? Yes.
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Hello. We're here at Red Cliff Sports Ground where
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we meet every week to play soccer.
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And we're just waiting for more boys to come now, and then we're gonna start our session.
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Remember the steering wheels on the other side of the car? That's not the driver taking that.
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We're here at High School where was talking to the principal and gathering some information. We just spent the day running around delivering porridge to the rural schools, and we're on our way to pick up a thousand pairs of shoes. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. I just want to say a big thank you to everybody for your continued generous prayers and support.
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That was just a glimpse of I don't know some pictures and things that I do in Africa and I'm headed back in three weeks and I would just ask for your continued prayers. A lot of the kids I'm working with that you see in those pictures with the soccer are Islamic kids. They've been evangelized for Islam and so that's been pretty pretty interesting and cool to kind of start dialogue and talking with them and challenging them and ask questions and stuff. So, yeah, I just wanted to show you that and I'm very grateful for this church's prayers and support. Thank you.
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And one one more quick announcement. Mike Moyer, most of y'all know Mike. A lot of y'all know Mike. Would you come up and do Sure. Thanks, Randy.
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Your piece. Alright.
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Good morning. My name is Mike Moyer. I'm a volunteer with Turning Point Pregnancy Resource Center. I'm not one of the usual volunteers as a as a man, but many of you are already familiar with Turning Point's outreach to young mothers. And some time ago, the board and staff at Turning Point recognized the need to reach out to young fathers as well.
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As many of you know, the thought of fatherhood can be daunting and we would like to step up next to these young fathers and mentor them through some of the basics of fatherhood. In December, John Mickus and I are going to be starting a six week fathering program. It's going be classes open to young fathers covering things such as soothing a crying child, taking care of a fever, immunizations, taking temperatures, making the home safe and car seats, things like that, maybe even changing diapers. As well as discussing character traits and how to support a mother, a mom during pregnancy. We're also going to be talking about just that big picture of what it means to be a father for life, for a lifetime.
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So
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if
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you know anybody that might be interested, please contact the staff at Turning Point and get in to get somebody signed up. Thanks for having
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me.
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Thank you. We, last week, it was Veterans Day on the eleventh. This since it it didn't hit on a Sunday or really anywhere quite near one. We didn't get a chance to mention it last week but we love y'all. Appreciate the veterans my dad served in Vietnam and Fort Polk, Louisiana.
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He didn't know which one was hotter. Would you all stand? If you're a veteran, would you stand first and then everybody else join them and try to greet one another this morning? Thank you. Appreciate it.
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It. Now, would the rest of you join? I mean, grab somebody and give em a hug and we'll bring you back together with a song.
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When
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darkness seems to hide his face, I rest on his unchanging grace. Amen. Storm. He is the Lord of Lord.
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And when he shall come,
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when he shall come,
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Let's sing that again more voices than anything.
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Christ stood known, cornerstone. We bade strong in the savior's love. Through
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God, it's good to come together as a as a church family, like minded, our faith for you, faith in you, Jesus, and just lifting our voices to you, saying once again, you are indeed our rock solid foundation. You're a cornerstone of our faith, and, we firmly rest on you. And so can we just say that out loud and, and then continue to sing to you? Matthew seven. Listen to this.
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It's you parents this is Jesus speaking. You parents, if your children ask for bread, do you give them a stone? Instead, if they ask for a fish, do you give them a steak? A snake? A steak.
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Yeah. Sure. Give them a steak. So if you sin people sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, this is the part right here. How much more will your heavenly father give good gifts to those who ask?
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I think a lot of times we we we don't have because we don't ask. You know? We've got a good, good father. Let's sing of him.
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And I've heard and I've heard in the dead of night and tail. And how you're pleased and that I never know. You're a good, good father. Who you are is who you are is who you are. I'm loved by you.
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It's who I am. Far and wide, but I know we are searching for answers. Only you provide because you know just what we need before we say words. You're a good, good fight. It's who you are.
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It's who I am. You're perfect in all. You are perfect in all of your ways. You are perfect in all are perfect in all of of your your ways. Ways to us.
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Let's sing that again. So true. You are perfect in all of your ways. Unexplainable laugh I can hardly think as you call Deeper still as you crawl There's nothing world more that will ever come close. No thing can compare your I'll let you know.
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Your presence. I'll taste it and see of the sweetest of those. But my heart becomes free and my shame is under. And by your presence, Lord.
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And we say we welcome you here, Holy Spirit.
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Holy Spirit, I will come you. Comfort this place and fill the atmosphere. Lord. Your presence, Lord.
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First one, there's nothing worse. And Holy Spirit, we welcome you.
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Holy Spirit, you are welcome. Comfort this place and fill by your praises, oh, Your praises,
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oh. And we'll sing, let us become more aware of your presence.
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Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience glory of your goodness. Let us
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Lord, how true? I I think about our days as a whole and and how there's so many things swirling and going on and, how a lot of time we forfeit that the chance to just spend time with you in in in your presence and and then just invite your Holy Spirit. And we wanna do that, God, because your Holy Spirit speaks to us. It draws us close to you. It convicts us of our sin.
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It tells us of your righteousness. And and one of the greatest benefits is is it brings comfort, and it brings peace. And and so often, God, can we just say sorry that we forfeit those things that you're you're offering to us? Can we say that once again, we we'd like to have more of you, we'd like to experience more of you, and we know that your Holy Spirit is what reveals these things to us. It reveals more of you to us.
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And and, God, can can we ask for more of that? Would you give that, more of that to us, so truly we can glorify you and build up this body and and let the let the world know, that our God reigns, that you reign. In Christ's name. Amen. You can be seated, and I'd like to ask, one of our elders, Eric Walkup, just to pray as we enter in the worship through giving.
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Let's pray. Lord God, you're a great God. I pray that we're where we are sinful, that you would break our hearts of our sin for our sin, that we would turn to you. Lord, I pray that where our hearts are broken because of other people's sin or circumstances in our life that once again, we would turn to you and we praise you and thank you that you give comfort, that you give grace, that you give us your Holy Spirit. So that we can live victoriously through you, not through our own strength.
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And Lord, because you give us all those things, we give back to you this morning through our offering with open hands and open hearts. So, we pray that this offering that's taken I pray that you would use it to spread your grace, your mercy, your love, your message of hope through our community here and through the world all the way to South Africa. We pray this in your name. Amen.
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Amen. There they go. It's time. Children's Church and middle school and high school group. That's a growing group downstairs.
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There are quite a few. They had 14 young ladies last week downstairs. That's great. We have come to a place. Actually, let's start with catching up a little bit.
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Last week because this one's sort of a series. This one we're in a series, a long series. Y'all know we're going through the New Testament in chronological order but last week, we did chapter eight of second Corinthians and this week, we're gonna do chapter nine and they are one unit. I don't even know why the commentators and people that got together decided to make this into two different chapters because they definitely are one theme from eight one to nine fifteen going straight through. It's about giving.
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So, I gave fair warning last week. So, if you didn't show up this week and hear another one about giving, you would know ahead of time but last week, we went through quite a bit and I'm actually gonna backtrack a little bit. Have y'all, are any of y'all binge Netflix watchers? I won't look. Okay.
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No. Are any of y'all, do y'all watch Netflix and you see the last week thing a lot to catch up to speed. So, last week, we did second Corinthians eight one through 15 and we started with this. How does then and there apply to here and now? And I want for y'all to be thinking about that again today.
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It's the same type of message, just it's the second part of a two part series. So how does then and there apply to here and now? We talked about the then and there. First Corinthians, Paul had written to them from Ephesus. So you see the GNC here.
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Ephesus is right here, and he sent this first Corinthians to Ephesus from Ephesus to Corinth which is a very wealthy community. It's sitting there on an isthmus in the Peloponnesian Insmus in Ikea and then he took off for Troas. When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was open for me and the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I didn't find my brother Titus there. He had expected Titus to meet him there. Now, Titus had been in Corinth and presumably, he was gonna meet him and wasn't.
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He was not there. So, I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia for even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest but we were afflicted at every turn, fighting without and fear within. This is from second Corinthians two and seven and you can see he crossed over into Macedonia. I'm kinda doing this because I want you to root this in the real world. I want you all to see that Paul was a actual real human being, actually made trips.
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He did these things and he did them for a reason and he and that's what we'll go over today. The reunion of Paul and Titus happened at Macedonia. God, who comforts the downcast, comfort us by the coming of Titus there in Macedonia. And he had a good report about what was going on in Corinth. They had received his letters well, and they had turned their ship metaphorically speaking, and they were doing well.
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So Paul was writing second Corinthians as an encouragement in many ways from Macedonia, and it had was traveling or had traveled down or was traveling down towards Corinth. Again, Corinth was a very wealthy land. Macedonia was broke, flat busted. They had been rich before, a hundred and fifty years before that, but they were going through an economic downturn. And so it was a very difficult place to be.
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Paul calls it a severe affliction, their monetary state. I've got one more map for you today and that is because Jerusalem right here, that's who Paul is talking about, the Jerusalem Christians, the collection for the saints in Jerusalem and so, I wanted you to see the scale on that. Ephesus is where he wrote first Corinthians. Macedonia is where he's writing second Corinthians, sending it to Corinth and he's gonna take a collection from Corinth to Jerusalem. Does that make sense?
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Everybody with me so far? So, that roots it in the there and then and this was the major big point from last week. The biblical reaction to grace received from God is grace extended to others. Do y'all agree with that? I think that it proved it over and over in chapter eight and he'll say it again in chapter nine.
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These were, this was our takeaway slide. Are the people there? Are there still people right now that are experiencing a severe affliction of poverty? Yes. Yes.
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No doubt about that. Does God's grace and we talked about that being charis? His grace, his favor, does it still exist? Yes. Have you received the grace of God?
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Amen. Will you extend that grace to others? That's the question and then, it came up multiple times last week too that this is a voluntary thing. It's not something that is a set requirement. You must do this.
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We're going to take it from you if you don't, okay? It's a voluntary thing to extend that grace to others. Otherwise, it would not be grace. Grace is unmerited favor that's given of your own free will and volition. Alright.
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So, the extension of grace is voluntary. But the biblical reaction to grace received is grace extended. Does that make sense? There's a fine line right there, isn't it? In fact, if we look at this, I think that we hit all these points last week.
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The biblical reaction to forgiveness received from God is forgiveness extended to others. Would you agree with that? Forgive one another just as God and Christ forgave you. Direct command. Biblical reaction to love received from God is love extended to others.
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Biblical reaction to comfort. How many times have we heard that this morning already? Receive from God is to comfort others. Hey, money. That's actually what these two chapters are about.
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I don't want to forget that. I'm always in my Bible, it says, it's not only money because when I was growing up, when we were in second Corinthians nine, it was going be about money. It was going to be an extraction of money. So, I want you to see that it's love and forgiveness and generosity and all of that but it is about money. This part particularly is about a collection and you'll see that.
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The biblical reaction to generosity received from God is generosity extended to others. Now, we're up to where we can take off again. Second Corinthians nine one through 15 and it's gonna be running commentary style this morning, okay? If the shoe fits on this, wear it. But it's a one size fits all, okay?
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You might already be wearing it. I don't know. You might already know about this and it's interesting to me that he does all of chapter eight and he starts chapter nine this way. Now, it's superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints. Superfluous.
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Over the top, not necessary. Yet, he's been doing it for a chapter and he's gonna do it for the rest of this chapter. It's superfluous, unnecessary, over the top. But why is he doing it? He's gonna tell us for 14 more verses why he's doing it.
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It is superfluous. I already understand and I trust that you're doing this already. For I know your readiness, he says, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia. Now, last week, he had said that to the Corinthians, he's writing to the Corinthians and say, hey, Macedonia has given way more than their means. They are giving like crazy and they're going through a very difficult time financially.
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He said, the Macedonians, it's blown me away. Like, I didn't even ask and it was just something that came out of this. Spontaneous giving from the people of Macedonia. I know of your readiness of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia. Now, a year before, they had started a collection and Paul knew that and they were ready to do it but they hadn't sent it yet and so, he says, I know your readiness.
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That's what I'm boasting about, telling everybody about Macedonia, saying that Achaia, which is where Corinth is, right? Achaia has been ready since last year. They started this process a year ago. Again, Achaia, Corinth is right there. Macedonia.
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And your zeal has stirred up most of them. A couple of chapters ago, we saw that he said, the godly sorrow produced in you created a zeal, a zeal for God, a zeal for the things of God, and so your zeal has stirred up most of them. Reminds me of the verse in Hebrews that says that we should be considering one another and stirring one another up into love and good works. Paul was saying, their zeal, it stirred up most of the Macedonians and they had been given But I'm sending the brothers and sisters probably. I'm sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter.
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You should be chuckling right now. Do you know what I'm saying? He says it's superfluous. I know I don't need to say this, but he's saying, I'm gonna send some folks and I want for you to be ready because I've been bragging on y'all for a while now. And if they got there and you weren't ready, I'm telling you this ahead of time so that you can be ready.
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Okay, people are on the way. There are folks that I know, and they're from up here in Macedonia, and they've given a lot already, and they're coming in. You don't want to be embarrassed, really, by not being ready. So that you may be made ready. I'm just giving you a shout out ahead of time, just as I said you would be.
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Otherwise, if some of these Macedonians come with me and find that you're not ready, we would be humiliated. You get that? Paul's personally invested in this and he he believes that they're going to give. He knows that they have the resources and he knows that they were ready. Last time he talked to him, they have been collecting but he's just afraid that they might have spent that money on something else or decided he wasn't coming or been upset.
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Who knows? So, he says, otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me, find that you're not ready. We would be humiliated to say nothing of you. You're going to be humiliated too. I've been bragging on you for quite some time.
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Now, this can look like a salesman's trick to you and I think that it does in our day and age because I'm ready for a salesman's trick. Dog on it. I don't want anybody to get me. This is how they get you. You think that all the time.
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That's how they get you. Paul's just being straight up with him and saying, I've told him that you would. You said that you would. I believe that you will but hey, be ready. They'll be here soon.
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We would be humiliated to say nothing you of you for being so confident. My words have been pretty confident about you. So, I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift. This is that letter. The letter is being sent to say, hey, get this ready.
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Among everything else that it said so far. To go on ahead to to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised so that it may be ready as a willing gift not as an exaction. So, a willing gift that's a good, it's a good translation of the word. Actually, the word there is eulogian or eulogos which is the word we get our word eulogy from. Eulogy is the good word, right?
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It's a blessing. Usually, we use it at somebody's funeral. A eulogy. It's it's a blessing to others. A willing gift ready and not as an exaction.
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Now, that's blessing or eulogy. Exaction, do y'all use that word every day? Are you in real estate if you do? Exaction, we don't use very much, and you can see the timeline here just recently. Since eighteen hundreds, the the usage of exaction is way way down.
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So I thought, instead of describing what it means in Greek, we would just describe what it means in English. So not as an exaction. An exaction is the action of demanding and obtaining something from someone, especially a payment for a service. He supervised the exaction of tolls at various ports. It's a sum of money demanded as a payment for service.
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It's an act of demanding unfairly, exorbitantly payment or extortion even. Exaction is when you owe this to me. Is Paul saying that that's what he's doing? Is he giving him the warning shot like, this is your invoice. Be ready when I get there.
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We preach Jesus to you. He's not holding that over their head. He's saying, hey, get ready. So, in Greek, the word there is this. And it just means and I thought this was interesting as a reason.
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To have numerically more. Does that make sense to you? Pleonexia is to have numerically more, lusting for a greater number of temporal things that go beyond what God determines is eternally best. Something we sang this morning in one of those songs. No thing can compare something we we sang it this morning.
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I was thinking, that that hits very strongly with this. It's not the seeking after temporal things that I'm doing as a minister of this gift or these other guys that are going to be with me. It's not the seeking after material blessing for us. We're not trying to enrich ourselves. There are folks that are hurting and we want to help.
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We want to administer it. So, covetousness, avarice, greed, or the desire for advantage. He's saying, I'm not coming down there because I know you're rich and I'm taking advantage of you. I want for you to know. In fact, he goes and says, the point is this, people.
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Come on people. The point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Now that's an agricultural metaphor, but if you sow a lot of seed, you put a lot of corn out there, what are you gonna end up with? A lot of corn.
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If you put a lot of seed out, chances are greater, you're gonna end up with a lot more of whatever you sow. But if you barely put anything out there at all, you keep it back in the greenhouse, let's say, you hold it back, and you barely put anything out there at all, you can't expect to have a bumper crop if you don't put it out there. So that's Paul's point. He says it. That's my point.
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This is the main verse, and this one comes up a lot. In fact, when we were in Mexico, it came up every single week. And it wasn't preached on every single week, excuse me, but we all said it in unison as the offering plates were being passed every single week. And I thought, wow, what an unusual tradition. We have unusual traditions too that I'm not aware of.
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Each one must give as he has decided. So when the frontline team's right here walking down through there, everybody in unison while they're digging for the checkbook or whatever is saying out loud, I can do it in my head because I heard it every single week. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. He's making sure that they know this is voluntary. And this is the last couple words there is this, Hilleron dotaine.
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And Hilleron actually describes that word, dotaine. And what does this word look like? Hilarious. A hilarious giver. God loves a hilarious giver.
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And the Hilleron right there is somebody who is cheerful or hilarious, but it's somebody that's happy about what they're doing. They're not being having things exacted from them. We all are like, oh, this is how they get you. We don't wanna have to pay that extra parking fee at Disney World. This is how they get you.
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A hilarious giver is somebody who is glad to do it. Glad to do it. Happy to do it. So, we usually see it as cheerful giver. I just like hilarious myself.
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Each one must give as as he has decided in his heart. Now, in his first letter to him in chapter 16, he told him he was gonna be coming and doing this. He said, gather on the first day of the week. I think that's part of the reason for our tradition of doing this on Sundays, taking up an offering on Sundays. Each one must give as he has decided in his own heart.
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Whatever it is, whatever your decision is voluntarily, your decision is about percentages or about how you will do it, what you will do, however you've decided in your own heart. It's between you and God. Straight up. Voluntary. It's voluntary.
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It says it again. Not reluctantly. So that kinda, oh, I'm afraid I don't wanna do this. I'm gonna regret this. And put it in the plate.
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Or under compulsion where it feels like, I know what you did last week. I saw that you weren't here. Under compulsion. No. It's not under compulsion.
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It's completely voluntary. Now, I can't say that without saying that the biblical reaction to grace extended to you by God is grace extended to others. Can't help but say it. God loves that cheerful giver and as God is able, as God is able to make all grace, again, Carus, unmerited favor. And God is able to make all grace, unmerited favor, abound to you so that having all sufficiency or all contentment might be a better way to look at that.
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So that having all sufficiency or contentment in all things at all times that you may abound in finances? No. So that you may abound in every good work. He's saying that your giving does link up to this. God is able to make all grace abound to you.
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Does he say that it is going to happen exactly like this? If you put this much in, you will get this much out of your investment. No. He says, God is able to do that. So that you having contentment in God, in the grace of God, in all things, at all times, that you may abound in every good work.
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As it is written, he has distributed freely. He has given to the poor and his righteousness endures forever. Now, that to us, we read that and I said, that's gotta be God because his righteousness is enduring forever and we're humans and we know that we're sinful and we we falter from time to time. This is actually written about the man of righteousness. It's written about a man.
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It comes from Psalm 112 verse nine and this is that whole Psalm and listen to this. It's a praise the Lord. We can praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments.
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His offspring will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright. He's gracious, merciful, and righteous.
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It's well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice, for the righteous will never be moved. He will be remembered forever. He's not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady.
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He will not be afraid until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely. He has given to the poor, and his ness endures forever. His horn is exalted in honor. The wicked man sees it and is angry.
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He gnashes his teeth and melts away and the desire of the wicked will perish. That reminds me of the story last week about the manna. Those who gathered it in. They didn't have any lack but those who tried to hold on to it, it just rotted and stank. Wicked man sees it and is angry.
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He gnashes his teeth, melts away, and desire of the wicked will perish. And Paul goes on, verse 10, he who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing. I remember growing potatoes. I'm not a big farmer. I hate agricultural stuff.
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I don't mind the references, but I hate doing it myself. I hate cutting my grass. I don't like that stuff. I hate it. There's nothing that I hate more than agriculture stuff.
53:11
I just hate it. I don't like I had to weed the garden when I was little, and I hate it. But I remember planting potatoes, and I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I plowed behind my younger brother. He was pulling and I was plowing, and then we swapped places and he pulled behind me. And we planted potatoes, and I remember cutting up the potatoes and having that and planting them back in.
53:34
And I was thinking, why are we holding on to these old rotten potatoes? These old sorry potatoes. Well, it was for sowing. That was the reason to put them back in the ground. And corn was the same way.
53:44
We held on to some of the corn to do the same way. He who supplies the seed to the sower and bread for food, that's God. He gives us what we have to sow in the first place. He gives us our daily bread. He will supply and multiply that seed for sowing.
54:01
It's not just so that you have more. Do you get that? He's multiplying the seed for more sowing. As our budget increases in this church, we wanna have more and more, but not to have more and more here. It's more and more to put elsewhere, different places.
54:16
So we're looking, every year when we do the budget, we look to see, is our mission's budget just staying static or is it going up? And we want to do more and more and more and we have been able to do that. Praise God. Wonderful. It's it's I love seeing Melissa up here because I've been to South Africa and seen what they do.
54:34
They feed, you know, 3,000 loaves of bread a day for people. They're supplying that. God is supplying for those poor people through Melissa, Mahindra, Crossroads, Pastor Strini, all those people. Praise God but it's for the sowing. He's supplying it and multiplying the seed for sowing and increasing the harvest of righteousness.
54:54
The harvest of righteousness. What we get to hold on to is the righteousness. Praise God. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way which through us will produce Thanksgiving to God. Those little boys that are playing soccer down there with Melissa are thanking God for the opportunity.
55:17
Some of them don't know him yet. Yeah. But when they come to realize that it's actually God that put her there and it's this church that sent her there and keeps her there, it's producing thanksgiving to God. Why will you be enriched in every way? To be generous in every way.
55:37
Through us, just being a channel of blessing. Lord, make me a channel of blessing today. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints. So, it is doing that. It's supplying the needs of the saints.
55:51
In Jerusalem, in their case, then and there, all over here and now. We're sending it all over the world. Ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but also overflowing in many Thanksgiving to God. By their approval of this service, so like those little boys, by their approval of this service, and they approved, you could see it. When they start unpacking the porridge and people are running down the road, I was glad you did that video this morning.
56:22
It's giving me a lot of examples. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission. Your submission that comes from the confession of the gospel of Christ. And the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others. Biblical reaction to grace received from God is grace extended to others.
56:46
Forgiveness, love, generosity, comfort. You thought it was going be money, didn't you? You remember our slide, the message of the cross? We see it all the time. If you have received the message of the cross and you've passed from being one of those who is perishing, who believes that cross, Jesus, first century, what does that mean to me?
57:09
Foolishness is what you believe it is. If you've crossed over from there to here, those who are being saved by the power of God. The the natural reaction for receiving this message is to extend that message to somebody else. Whether it's here or on the other side of the world. Whether it's here or helping somebody else extend it on the other side of the world.
57:35
While they long for you and they pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that has been upon you. Now, is the surpassing grace of God upon you? I think it is. I believe that the surpassing grace of God. I can't believe how good he is to me when when we ask actually Blake.
57:53
I'll call him out. Sorry. When you ask Blake how he's doing in the middle of the week, he says, better than I deserve. That's the grace of God. That's the grace of God better than I deserve.
58:05
That's the surpassing grace of God. While they long for you and they pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. Amen. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.
58:19
Now, this is interesting too because gift all along has been Carus, Grace. You know, it's been that. It looks like it would say, thanks be to God for his inexpressible grace and that's true But this gift is Doran and it matches that cheerful giver. Does that make sense? For the inexpressible gift of God, whatever it is that he's given you, that's what he wants to see you freely and hilariously given back.
58:52
Whatever it is he's given to you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. The reaction to a gift received from God is a gift extended to others. Whether it's a gift of service as Peter says or a gift of speaking. Look at this verse again or this couple verses again.
59:11
Approval, service, glorify God, submission, confession, gospel, generosity, contribution, surpassing grace, thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. That's it. Charis. That's the word there. It can mean either grace, unmerited favor, favor, or thanks depending on the context.
59:33
And this one, it's thanks be to God. It's voluntary to give him thanks. But if you recognize that he's the one that's given it, it's almost impossible not to. That's it. I think that's it.
59:48
Can't see the clock this time of year. Probably past time. Amen. Carl, would you come on up? And we're going to stand and sing.
59:58
I will follow.
1:00:24
Alright. Where you go? I will go.
1:00:45
And all your ways are good. Let's sing it.
1:00:48
All your ways are good. All your ways are sure. I will trust in you. No. Higher than my sight, high above my light.
1:01:05
I will trust in you, Lou. In you know I'm a light unto the world. I'll light unto the world. Light unto my light. I'm there for you alone.
1:01:54
You're the one I see knowing I will find all I need in you alone. Where you go, I'll go. Where you stay, I'll stay. When you move, I'll move. I'll follow you.
1:02:19
Whom you love, I love. I serve, I'll serve. If I'll follow you. I'll follow you. And in you, there's life everlasting.
1:02:38
In you, there's life everlasting. In you, there's freedom for my soul. In you, there's joy. In day joy, joy. I'll follow where you go.
1:03:00
I'll go where you stay. I'll stay when you move out. I'll follow
1:03:31
Amen. I have a couple of things. My wife actually texted me. She's probably back there somewhere and told different ways of being able to give here in this valley. We'll have an angel tree out here soon.
1:03:41
It'll be showing up. Y'all remember that from last year. We're doing Operation Christmas Child, Wendy, Wednesday night. The Community Resource Center works year round. It was started by all the churches together.
1:03:51
That's a great place. Good Samaritan Mission, always awesome, good place. Latino Resource Center. We got plenty of places to give. This is more charitable organizations in this town anywhere I've ever been before or here.
1:04:06
And we want to administrate that gift and see more and more people reach with the gospel. Praise God for his inexpressible gift. In Jesus name, amen.
