The Biblical Reaction to Grace Received

In one paragraph

Pastor Randy walked through 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, the second half of a two-chapter unit on giving, and pressed the congregation to see how Paul's appeal to the Corinthians connects directly to the way First B lives and gives today. The core claim was simple: the biblical reaction to grace received from God is grace extended to others, whether in the form of forgiveness, love, comfort, or money. To...

Read together

1. Psalm 103:1-2 quoted at the opening as a psalm to sing together
2. Matthew 7 quoted to show God as a good Father who gives good gifts to those who ask
3. 2 Corinthians 2 and 7 quoted to show Paul's journey through Troas and Macedonia and his reunion with Titus
4. 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 identified as the previous week's passage covering generosity and the collection
5. 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 the main passage preached through in running commentary
6. Hebrews referenced regarding stirring one another up to love and good works
7. Psalm 112:9 quoted by Paul in 2 Corinthians 9 about the man who gives freely to the poor and whose righteousness endures forever
8. Psalm 112:1-10 read in full as the source psalm for the quote Paul uses about distributing freely and giving to the poor
9. 1 Corinthians 16 referenced as where Paul told the Corinthians to gather on the first day of the week for the collection

Talk about it

1. Pastor Randy opened with the idea that the biblical reaction to grace received from God is grace extended to others. Where do you see that pattern showing up in your own life, and where do you feel it breaking down?
2. Paul told the Corinthians he had been boasting about their readiness to give, even before they had followed through. Has there ever been a gap between your intentions to be generous and your actual follow-through? What got in the way?
3. Pastor Randy pointed out that Paul used the word that gives us our word 'eulogy' for the kind of gift he wanted from the Corinthians, a blessing freely given, and contrasted it with 'exaction,' something demanded or extracted. How do those two pictures of giving sit with you personally when you think about your own attitude toward giving?
4. Paul wrote that God multiplies the seed for more sowing, not just so you have more for yourself. Pastor Randy connected that to the church's missions budget and to Melissa's work in South Africa. What does it look like practically for a church, or for an individual, to treat increased resources as seed for sowing rather than as something to hold onto?
5. The sermon closed with Paul's line, 'Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift,' and the observation that recognizing God as the giver makes it almost impossible not to thank Him. What gift from God are you most aware of right now, and how is that awareness shaping the way you live?