LAUGH 'N LEARN

An Encouragement Ministry of Verde Valley Christian Church Of Cottonwood Arizona
http://vvchristianchurch.net

Issue # 377 June 7,  2010

LAUGH

 Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken."  She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, everyone else in the class laughed.

My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am.  Fried chicken is my favorite animal.  I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA.  He said they love animals very much.  I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef.

Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office.  I told him what happened, and he laughed too.  Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite LIVE animal was.  I told her it was chicken.  She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children.

So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.  She sent me back to the principal's office again.  He laughed, and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand.  My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.  Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.

I told her, "Colonel Sanders".
Guess where I am now...

LEARN

Jim's Manuscript

June 6, 2010

"Egoorcs Rezenebe"

2 Corinthians "True Comfort" Series (Part 9)

Text:  Chapter 9

The message title this morning is that all important phrase, "Egoorcs Rezenebe".  How many of you already know what this phrase means; raise your hands?  Oh, some of you do!  No, this is not a Latin phrase, or a Greek phrase.  Egoorcs Rezenebe is Ebenezer Scrooge backwards.  Today, we are going to confront the scrooge in each of us, and learn the spiritual keys to reversing it.

How Do I turn Ebenezer Scrooge Around

·       Look At The Mirror Image

Focus:  A selfish man is never rich.

So the first thing to do to turn Ebenezer Scrooge around is to take a good look in the mirror, and examine the scrooge in us!  We cannot serve both God and Mammon.  One or the other will rule our hearts, not both.

There is another mirror we must look into this morning.

·       Look Into the Mirror of God's Word (see James 1:23)

First the large mirror of the whole chapter of 2 Corinthians 9, then we will take some close up looks. 

2 Corinthians 9:1-15 (NIV) ¹ There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. ² For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. ³ But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. ⁴ For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we--not to say anything about you--would be ashamed of having been so confident. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. ⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." ¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. ¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

I.        Huge Generosity Produces Huge Results (9:6)

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

You can't out give God.   But if you are giving in order to get, you are barking up the wrong tree!  You can't GIVE cheerfully and SELFISHLY at the same time.  You can't be motivated by compassion and greed at the same time.  As James puts it, foul water and sweet water do not flow out of the same fountain.  So, giving is giving, cheerfully to bless, not in as some strange investment strategy to get rich yourself.  That is barking up the wrong tree.  But when your heart is right and you are blessing others, it is amazing how the blessings return to you!

There Are Returns

The Bible is clear about the fact that when you give, there are returns.  And this passage is specific.  If you are sparingly sowing, you will sparingly reap.  It isn't necessarily apples to apples, but nevertheless there is a correlation of the harvest with the sowing.  Generous blessings come when we are generously sowing.  This is the principle of the sewing seeds.  Giving is sewing seeds of blessing.  Bless and you will be blessed.

II.       Cheerful Generosity Delights God (9:7)

⁷ Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

The Little Cheerful Giver (2 Cor. 9:7)

A mother gave her child a one-dollar bill and a quarter.

"Sweetheart," the mother said, "you can place either one in the offering plate. It's entirely up to you."

As they were driving home, the mother asked the daughter what she had decided to give.

"Well, at first I was going to give the dollar," said the daughter. "But the man behind the pulpit said God loves a cheerful giver, so I felt like I would be much more cheerful if I gave the quarter instead."

Unfortunately it is not just children who think this way.  The comfortable rich are also tempted to interpret that verse to mean if it makes them uncomfortable then they are giving too much.  Where do we get this idea?  That isn't biblical thinking. 

Consider again the Macedonian example in the previous chapter:

2 Corinthians 8:2 (NIV) Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

They did not withdraw from generosity even though they were going through severe trial and extreme poverty.

2 Corinthians 8:4 (NIV) they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

They begged for the opportunity.  They didn't want to be left out of the excitement.  They cheerfully gave. 

The point made here in 2 Corinthians 9 about God loving a cheerful giver is that if you are giving with a grudging heart, you are canceling some of the benefit of giving that comes to yourself. 

What benefit?  Paul lists the benefits next.  So, the attitude of the heart is rather important.  But before we consider those benefits, lets consider an important point.  What if you are NOT cheerful about giving?  What can you do?  The first thing you need to do is confront the spirit of poverty that has its hold on you!  You can lead your heart by obedience.  You can train your heart to have a better attitude.  If the devil has deceived you with and the demon of poverty that keeps whispering to you, "You can't give, you don't have enough to give."  The spirit of poverty is keeping you from trusting to the point of obedience.  You are holding a lie in your heart that keeps you smitten by the spirit of poverty.  It is a poison that keeps you convinced you are too poor to give.  When this poison affects you, you don't fully understand the riches and the blessings God provides those who trust him enough to be obedient (step 1), and more than enough blessings to be cheerfully generous (step 2)!  And why so cheerfully generous...because you absolutely love God with a crazy love.  Others think you are crazy... but not you.  Love tends to be lavish. 

It isn't hard to understand God. 

Doing God A Favor

Imagine that a pastor's car breaks down and he as a cell phone.  He contemplates who he might call to give him a favor of a ride home.   He calls "Joe".  But Joe hesitated on the phone.  There was an awkward silence, then it came out that Joe was watching the Basketball finals.  He says "He will pick him up if there he can't find anybody else."  The pastor hangs up.  He goes through his list of contacts but can't seem to find anybody else.  He calls Joe back.  Joe came, but it is an awkward ride.  When he dropped the pastor off, the pastor says, "Thanks very much for the ride."  Then Joes replies with the parting words, "You can thank me by getting your car fixed." 

OUCH, the pastor feels unappreciated after all he has done for Joe.  That is what we make God feel like sometimes.  Like he is not as important as an hour of basketball, or whatever.  We make him feel like we're put out.  Will this Pastor ask Joe for a favor again?  NOPE.  What if it had gone another way?  What if Joe had said, with genuine cheer, I'm so glad you asked me.  I've been wanting to tell you in some way how much I appreciate you.  That would have made the Pastor's day, and it would have genuinely made Joe feel good about what He did.

God loves the cheerful giver.  We value him so much, we are delighted he asked.  We are genuinely excited that we could help him, and show him in some small way that he means so much to us.  This is such a small thing, for all he has done for us.  A cheerful giver delights the heart of God.  A response of cheer like this is a response that values HIM!!!!

III.       God Provides Generous People With...

A.      More Than They Need (9:8-9)

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Pan means "All"

The word "pan" is used 5 times in 9:8.  Pan means "All".  As in "pandemic" = over ALL demics, or demographics, or "Pandemonium" = all demons, demons, or disorder, or destruction over all, or everywhere; or "panoramic" = visually taking in ALL, the whole scene; or "Pantheism" = the view that god is not a PERSONAL being but the all, in all, and the natural force in all; we believe differently than that, GOD is a truly personal, and other than his creation.  He is not creation itself, but the creator.  We are not "PANTHEISTS" but "THEISTS".  But I'm digressing.  What I want you to know is that "Pan" means "All". 

Paul Bangs the "Pan" to Get Our Attention

Paul uses the word "Pan" translatable "all" 5 times.  I'll use a pan, just to highlight his points (bang a pan with a spoon) each time.

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every [all] good work.

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you ("Abound" = more than enough, more than we need, "Grace" = more than we deserve! = gifts upon gifts upon gifts) , so that in all things (every good thing you want to do to God's glory) at all times (every time, even when the economy is down), having all that you need, you will abound (have more than enough) in every [all] good work.

Who does he do this for?  The one who sows generously.  The seeds of giving you sow, just like agricultural seeds will produce from God's hand more seeds than you gave away!

B.      A Larger Harvest (9:10-11)

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

AND Everything We Need For Larger Harvests

¹¹ You will be made rich in every [pan--all] way so that you can be generous on every [pan--all] occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

            Made rich in    EVERY way so that you can be

generous on     EVERY occasion.

When God gives us our resources, God gives us more than we need, not so that we can have more, but so that we can give more to others.

David E. Garland, -- New American Commentary

"Generous on every occasion" means in times of plenty when there is a surplus AND when times are lean and we don't have a surplus.  We can still be generous because we can trust God to provide everything we need even when things are lean.    It is at ALL times that God provides, not just times of plenty.

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Reluctance to sow generously, then, reflects a refusal to trust that God is all sufficient and all gracious. It also assumes that we can only give when we are prospering and have something extra that we will not need for ourselves. Paul says that at all times God provides us with all that we need so there is never any time when we cannot be generous.

David E. Garland, -- New American Commentary

The Tight Fisted or Open Handed

The problem with being tight fisted with our giving is that it means our hand is also closed to the blessings God wants to give to us.  When we are open handed with our giving, we are also open handed with the God who promises to give more so that his grace might abound all the more.  When we give, we are saying by our actions that Jesus is Lord.  We are saying by our actions that we believe our God will meet all our needs and more.  We are saying "There is more where that came from."

One Person's Response to the Question: 

Aren't you serving too much, and giving too much away?

His gentle but honest answer was, "I wonder if you'll say that after we're dead?"

Crazy Love, p. 51

Story of Brooke Bronkowski (Crazy Love p. 47-49)

C.      A Chain Reaction (9:12-15)

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Being Real and Repentance

Don't try to fool God.  Tell him how you really feel.  If you have recognized after looking into the mirror of God's Word today that God is not really your top most heart's desire, tell him you are sorry for that.  Acknowledge and confess it.  Tell him you have chosen _____________ over him.  Tell him you want him to change you, so that you can genuinely enjoy Him.  Tell him you WANT to love him more than anything else on this earth.  Tell him you want to TREASURE his Kingdom so much that you will willingly trade everything for HIS WILL.  You want to be able to say honestly, "Your will be done, NOT my will."   If you are having difficulty TRUSTING him this way, tell him.  Tell him what you do like about him and what you do appreciate.  Start trusting him more.  Do you need to be defiant about the spirit of poverty that's deceiving you!  Bless someone generously. 

Generosity Changes the Future, not just a Chain Reaction, IT'S A Change Reaction--CHAIN REACTION!

(C) Jim Hammond

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