God's Basic Cycle Of Sufficiency (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Church is very friendly. We're trying to be the friendliest Church in the Triangle. That's one of our goals here at new Grace and it's always good to have visitors. Here is also good in it to know. That you're on the Lord's prayer list in heaven. He prays for you everyday. Just think we'd sometimes we oversleep and we get up and we rush into the shower and dress and get off to work, but the Lord's already prayed for us and that's something he prays for us. He intercedes on our behalf. And remember what Paul said, I'm not preaching on this today, but I could say that my last stand. No, man, stood with me. He said all men, forsook me he said, but the Lord stood with me, So he'll he'll never leave you this. Mama said your mother and father May forsake you, but the Lord will take you in. And I hope that you have found that he will do that. Well, today we're going to continue in our series. And here's our series a life. Well spent, so we've decided here and you Grace that we would talk about something that most preachers don't like to talk about and that's money. And we're going to talk about money and we've been talkin about sewing a specially. We've been talkin about stewardship and what that means and also sacrificial giving. Well, today, the title of this message is God's basic cycle us efficiency how God provides the resources. We need to accomplish his work. You see? There's a cycle hear that God has, and I call it the cycle of sufficiency, how do we know that we're going to have enough? The dude not only what God has called us to do because we're all doing Kingdom work. If you're here today and you a Christian, you're doing Kingdom work but also just to live and pay our bills and things of that nature. Well, it may surprise you But there's one verse of scripture that gives God's entire cycle of sufficiency for our life. And I want you to turn there this morning and you turn there. And I'm going to turn this fan on because I'm already getting hot.

2nd Corinthians chapter 9. And verse 8. Now, we're going to read that in the moment, but I want to give you a little caveat here. So we've been talkin about giving and tithing and we've been talkin about what a tithe is 10% and we've been talkin about that. God wants to put us in the level of 10 + 4 sent the tide plus. And we talked about how in many churches, most churches forty-two, 70% of people don't give a penny, don't give a damn most of the church in most churches, twenty 25% of the people support the church. And we talked about. So, I mourn on givers. Some are first-time givers from our regular givers, and we've also remember we said in in most Baptist Church is, the average percent that is given is 2.7%. So if someone give 2.7% then they they may be a regular giver but they're not at either to be at either. You have to give 10% and remember, I gave you an easy example to follow you make $60,000 a year. 10% of 60000 is how much 6,000? That's what I would. That's what I would give to God. Why? Because, God only knows why he owns it all. He owns that everything. If you have a million-dollar 401K is simply because God has allowed you to have that. And he expects us to be good stewards, not only of our time and gifts and talents but also of our money. Amen. We need to understand that. So, I say all that to say this, It's a mistake and quite often made by new Christians, to think. But if I start walking in God's way, and if I start tithing, if I start giving my money to God, that means that he's going to give me a life of comfort. Now let me say something this morning you made this morning you may start, you made have never tied before and you may start today and you may give 10% and you're the 10 plus toddler and that's great, but in two or three months, it's possible that you may lose your job. It's possible. All I'm saying is simply because we do what we are supposed to do. Does not make our life comfortable and easy. We won't have a life devoid of challenges in. So the same is true when Christians make a decision to put God first in their finances, many people mistakenly believe that if they begin to tithe that all their financial problems will be solved. Well that's a good thing to Ty's God commands it. But that doesn't mean that all your financial problems will be solved matter-of-fact and many cases your financial situation may get worse. If it gets worse, what's God doing? Maybe he's testing me to see if I will type out of my poverty and not out of my abundance. You see, just like we studied last week, the widow woman. She taught, she gave everything all that she had, you see, it's a lot easier to give when you have a lot. But it's hard to give when things are tight and you live paycheck-to-paycheck. Then that's where the rubber meets the road there. So Financial stewardship is an area of the Christian Life, just like all other areas prayer, vocation Fellowship evangelism. It's the same and God uses situations to test us and to mold us into strengthen us and to conform us until the image of his son. That's why we have problems and trials in our life. He's confirming us into the image of Jesus. So let me just say this concerning finances but also concerning everything else. Always expect challenges and trials and testing in life especially in the area of finances. Because it's in these trials and tribulations that we learn to walk by faith. So in this lesson, we're going to explore how God has promised to meet our needs and as we can form our life to his expectations. So I may read this script or two or three times a day, I don't know. But let's look at it. 2nd Corinthians 9:8 and this is what the Bible says. In God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you always having all sufficiently. In all things may have an abundance For every good work and not an incredible if you just look at that passion. That is so incredible. Not let me tell you who, I think of when I read this Remember when God called Abraham to sacrifice, his only son, Isaac. What did God tell Isaac before that, he said, or what did he tell Abraham before that he's Abraham? I'm going to make you a father of a great nation. And matter fact that Nations going to come from your son, Isaac, and so Abraham fall. Okay, well, that's great. Well, then it took a long time. But he finally had a son, Isaac. And then when Isaac was thirteen or fourteen years old God, ask Abraham old by the way. Would you please take your son up on top of this mountain and I want you to sacrifice in there. And Abraham had to think. One minute. This this is the sun. That's going to a great nation. Is going to come from this son and you want me to kill him? Does sacrificing. Something has to be wrong here. What why would you ask me to do that? Well, you can that's in Genesis chapter 22. You read the rest of the Book of Genesis and it never tells us why God asked him to do that. You have to go all the way to Hebrews to find out the reason and this is what Abraham concluded. It's written in Hebrews chapter 11 which is known as the Hall of Fame of Fate. Listen to what Abraham said. He concluded that God was able to raise Isaac up even from the dead. Abraham said this is my only son, the promise fun and if I sacrifice him, the only thing I can think of is that God is somehow going to raise him from the dead and he steals going to be the father of a great nation. You know how much faith that took to believe that you say? Why would that take Faith? Because raising someone from the day, I was unprecedented. It never happened before. We're talkin about the Book of Genesis. This is before Jesus, this is before, anyone was raised from the dead, but Abraham said I'm going to do it and I believe God will raise him up from the dead. And still, he will be the father of a great nation. Well, we know, if you read the story that this was just a test. I was not going to actually allow Abraham to sacrifice Isaac because instead, he thought he saw a ram in a Thicket. And so, he sacrificed the RAM and remember what Abraham called the name of that place. Jehovah, Jireh. What does that mean? The Lord will provide Friends, when it comes to our finances, we need to understand something. When we trust God, and when we do, what we should do with our finances, the Lord will provide, he will provide the Lord is my provider, matter fact, the word provide in Hebrew means To see beforehand. See Abraham knew that God could see the future and he couldn't and he knew how things would work out. So he was willing to trust God and lay his son on the Altar and and just about come down with the hammer on him, but he didn't. Because God provided for his vast, a message of 2nd Corinthians 9:8, the Lord is looking ahead and he knows exactly what you need. And if you are faithful with your finances, even in tight times, the Lord will provide. So let me make this statement before we jump into it. It's not our job. To withhold money from the Lord. Out of fear of the future. It is our job to give to the Lord knowing that he will provide in the future. That is that the deal right there? Don't look at your checkbook. Saying, I've got this to pay yesterday this to pay. I'm going to pay all this and if I have a little bit left, I'm going to give it to the Lord. Know you're not trusting the Lord your fearing. What may happen, Abraham, didn't fear, what may happen. He trusted the Lord and he found out that the Lord would provide. So when Paul wrote this and so I can rent Corinthians 9:8, he was dealing with people, just like us what he was doing here is he was asking the Christians at Courant to sacrifice sacrificially, give to the suffering Christians in Jerusalem. Now they will. No doubt was concerned about that but they also had concern for their own money. Remember now, the people that we're talking about, we're probably very poor, they didn't have a whole lot to give anyway, but Paul reminds him, the God is able to make his grace is sufficient for their needs. So that they would have everything that they needed for every good work friends. That's the message that we need to hear today. When it comes to our finances, when we give to God, he will give us all the grace that we need and show us that he will provide for us if we put him first. So, here's what I want to do with this one verse. We going to break it down into five parts. And here's number one, I want you to see the power of God's promise and we see that in verse 8, the first part of verse 8 and I look what it says. Well I tell you what, let's go back to verse 6. So it'll give us some contacts and read the verse 8 but this I say he who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart. Not grudgingly. Not because you don't want to, but you just feel like you have to or of necessity. I want God to bless me so I'm going to give don't get it for that reason. For God, loves or what a cheerful Giver. He lost people who gives because they love him. He'll of people who gives because they know that everything they have comes from God. It's really his, we're just stewards of everything. Even my children, I have two boys. They're not mine there. He just gave me and Martha opportunity to raise them two boys, and then shoot them out into the world, to live for him. That's what it is. They're not mine, I'm just stewards of them insult, the power of God's promise. Let's look at it in the first part of birth date and God is able to make it not great. God is able what did he make way made the world and everything in it? He is able this this in short, right here. Answers, the question will God provide for my family? If I give him a time? Absolutely. How do you know because God is able to make God is able to make at the same conclusion that jobri Reese Wilson. What he said. I know that you can do everything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. What did Jesus say? Well, with man things are impossible. But with God, what all things are possible. God, will is able to make. Well, I preached the sermon many years ago and I entitled it. It's my favorite sermon. I think I've ever preached. I'm tired of God is able. I want to show you some scriptures and this is not all of them, just a few of them. I want to show you some scripture where the Bible says, God is able to do something. Because many times, many of us think of God. Let me say it like this. We spell god with a lowercase G, not a capital G. Because we look at God thinking like us that he has limitations. Don't you two? Look at what the Bible says. 2nd Timothy 1:12 for this reason. I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed for, I know, whom I have believed at a sueded that he speaking of God, is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day friends, if you were here today and you're saved, Bennett that salvation we have committed to him and we're not going to be a we're not going to lose that salvation because kids able to keep what I have committed to him. He is he is an able God look at the next verse Hebrews 2:18 for in that he himself has suffered being tempted, talk about Jesus. He is able to Aid those who are ticketed. So when your intent, when you face the Temptation, you say while I just don't know how I'm going to get out of this. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians, that God always provides a way of Escape. He is able to Aid those who are tinted. You turn to him, he's able to help you in your Temptation. Look at the next verse. Hebrews 7:25. Therefore he is also. Here it is. Again, he's able to save to the uttermost, those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. God is able to save to the uttermost. Good. Not great. That's just three. Look at the next one. Do 24. Now to him, speaking of God, who is able to keep you from stumbling? Don't we all stumble and many things we all stumble, but he's able to keep you from stomach and to prevent you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding Joy. How does he presented a spotless? Because we are presented to God in the in the righteousness of Christ and he was perfect. So when God looks at me today, he didn't see us in for Mike. He sees a perfect Mike because of the blood of Christ because he's able it me. Here's my fave. This is my favorite verse in the entire Bible. now, to him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that work since He's able to do exceedingly. Abundantly, that phrase means.

Super duper duper abundantly if you look at it in the Greek, it means just over and above on and off your memory and grateful. You say why I'm Superman while I'm super duper man? I'm super duper duper, man, and we just go on like that super duper, that's what that means. Now to him, who is able to do super, duper abundantly above all that we can a spray for or think imagine according to the power which is the holy spirit that works in a, anyone who believes what the Bible says has to agree that God is able to take care of his own. Amen. He's able to take care of you and he will do that. And his provision is not a matter of his ability. It's a matter of are giving him the opportunity. To prove himself, what did Malachi chapter 3 said, bring your tithes into the storehouse and you see if y'all don't open the windows of heaven and pour out some many blessings on you that it will suffocate you, that's what he said. So a person riding on the train doesn't jump out the train when it goes through a dark tunnel. Know, what are you do you rely on the engineer to bring the train safely through that dark tunnel? And even Those Who tie sometimes, go through some dark tunnels on occasion. But they don't jump off the train because they have resolved to trust God all the way through and I'll show you one more verse if you want. Talk about the character of God, how able he is, look at Matthew 7:11. If you think I'm being evil, speaking of Earthly parents know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your father? Who is in heaven? Give good things to those who asking you say, we all take care of our children, but we're just sinful people how much more will God take care of us. He's a loving father committed to doing the same thing as an Earthly father would do provide for his children, who trust him. So this is what I want to say about this verse today. God is able to make the power hear of God's promise he is able number two, I want you to see the potential of God's promise and we see that in the next two words. God is able to make what all Grace. You say what what does he mean by that? Well Paul uses this term here all Grace about 11 times in 2nd Corinthians, 8 and 9. You see, it's God's grace that empowers us to give and it's God's grace that keeps us supplied. While we're giving and as we're giving all Grace is another way of saying that, if you will give to God, God will give you as much grace as you need. He will give you as God's grace never runs out. Do you know that there's always room at the foot of the cross? Cause his grace, never run out. Look at what Romans 8:32 says He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us. All How shall he not with him also? Freely, give us all things. Yes, he will because he is full of gray. If God has given us his son, why would he not give us whatever else we need? Do you think that God would give us his most precious? Gift his son and then withhold something a lot less precious like money know, he would never do that. He gave us his son. A kind of makes me think of what Jesus said on The Sermon, on the Mount, how God provides for the birds of the air in the Lilies of the Field. He knows when a bird dies, he knows how many hairs on your head or lack thereof, whatever he he knows, you say, God is omniscient, all knowing he's omnipresent present everywhere, he's all-powerful. Do you think he knows the needs of those who Faithfully give to him? He absolutely dust. Does he have the resources to meet your needs? Absolutely. He does when he allow you at some point in your life, to be in need of occasionally to strengthen your fake. Yes, he will. I'm not a Prosperity Gospel preacher. I'm not going to sit up here and tell you what? If you start giving God money, he's going to bless your life. So much that you will never be in want and that you will never suffer. No. Jesus said in this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Yes, we will suffer sometimes no matter if, we're very good giver but many times we suffer because God is just trying to take us to the next level is what he's doing. But we see the power of God's promise. God is able. We see the potential here. All Grace, whatever amount of Grace. We need is always available number three. We see the proportion of God's promise and is found in the next phrase. Look what he says bound tour word. You how many of you ever use that word in your vocabulary today? I mean, you ever use the word abound, It's a Wonderful word Paul uses at eight or nine times here, in the next two chapters. It Means A Generous energetic quality. It means words, like abundance and overflow and exceed and more than enough. The Simon said God, pours his grace in my cup, and my cup overflows. You see, that's God, that's the proportion is going to abound. Paul says that the following things abound, if you read this whole chapter Comfort Ministry, Thanksgiving Joy riches, Faith, knowledge, diligence, generosity Grace, and every good work, he says about everything that God touches about everything that he touches a bounce and excluding, including us, as will allow him to have more and more of our life. And there's no better illustration of abundance. Then when God gave us his son, what Jesus say he says I have come so that they may have life and that they may have it. How more abundantly you see friend? This is not a message of whale or Prosperity. Like many preachers won't the preach and if you'll send the money, they'll send you a prayer cloth and some holy water or something like that. No, this is about the abounding grace of God, by which we enter into a relationship with him. God promises to meet our needs as we submit ourselves to him. This is what this is all about. God is an abundant God, God is Not lacking resources soon as you jump in the batter's box. He's not going to leave you alone. God is an abundant God number for we've seen the power, God is able We seen the potential all Grace. We see the proportion abound towards you. Now, we see the provision of God's promise. And that's found in the next phrase. Look what he says.

That you always having all sufficiently see. In all things, I want you to think about that statement hitting that one, the most affirming and positive statements that you could ever read. That means that his grace Will cover every conceivable situation in which you might find yourself in life. in all things, he says, What could possibly arise in life that is not covered under the umbrella of God's sufficient Grace? So with this provision and abundance, why do some Christians Still struggle to make ends meet. you say, well, I know people who tie

And they just struggle. They live paycheck to paycheck. Why does that happen? Well, in some cases that happens because people don't, so, They don't give back, they just give and then expect God. Okay. My God, you blessed me and God blesses them. But yet, they don't. So with what God blesses them with, maybe it's because we're not trusting God by faith because we're living in fear of what might happen. If I put him first in my finances, maybe that's why I struggle Or maybe I struggled because God has said, Mike, you're going through a testing time and I'm going to stretch your faith and I'm going to take you to another level and many times. He may use your finances to do that. Don't don't? You hate it. When you go to work and you just have just the kind of a mean honoree boss to work for in that hard, just the. Or if you have an employee that you have to work beside, their just hateful, they're lazy, they don't do their work, and you have to do their work and your work, don't you? Just hate that and we complain. And what's the first thing we want to do when we get in an uncomfortable situation? When we get out? If I we start looking for another job and we start at networking with people, and people telling people that look ya'll need somebody look, can you help me here? I need to get out of this situation in the whole time. God may not want you dial that situation. He may want, you didn't cuz he's stretching your face, he's taking you to another level. Still do the same thing, sometime concerning our finances in This much we know, God does not lack the resources or the ability to provide for his children when we were in need. We know that for a fact. So the provision here is that you always not sometimes, not most of the time, you always have what all sufficiency in some things know, most things know in all things. She just think about that statement. You always have all sufficiency in all things, everything we will never lack Paul or the Lord will never turn his back on his member. What Paul told the Philippians that God will supply all your needs in Christ Jesus, he was riding to people who had sacrificed themselves on his behalf. Philippian church at brought Paul gifts. While he was in prison, they had given money The Paul. And Paul reminded them that God would bless their sacrifice and friends. That's what God will do for us. Remember, he's able to do how exceedingly abundantly super, duper duper above all that we could ever ask or think? All right, let's move to last point. We will close it out. We seen the power. God is able. We seen the potential all Grace. We seen the proportion abound toward you. We seen the provision that we will have everything that we need. Always in all things. But we have to ask a question. Why? What's the purpose? Of God's promise the purpose and we see it in the last phrase.

That you may have an abundance for every good work. Not every good thing, but every good work, friends, God has called us to do Kingdom work. Do you know that, if you're a Christian today, you're here as an ambassador to your king and we're down here and we're doing Kingdom work, until the Lord returns and sets up his kingdom on this Earth. And other words, we are the hands and the feet and the Heart of Jesus on this Earth. And that's why God promises to cause his grace to multiply, because God wants to support our work in the same way he supported his own son, when he was on Earth, you say for every we have abundance for every good work. That's why church is out, not to fret. Well we don't have a lot of money. Don't have a lot of people when we going to do the Bible. Says that he will abundantly supply for every good work. As long as we're doing the work that Christ wants us to do going out and reaching out to people who don't know him, then he will supply, all our needs. His grace is sufficient in all things. Always always. So we have to ask ourselves whether we're about doing God's work or what are we about doing our own work and God has promised to provide what we need to work. Remember what Paul said in Ephesians, your saved by grace through faith and that not of yourselves, to get to God. And then he says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto what good works, good Kingdom works. And so the result is that we have all this efficiency. In abundance for every good work for all the ministry that we do and as we continue to do God's Ministry in the world, his economic cycle, just continually spins. What is that God is able He's able to make the power, the potential hombres. Proportion abound toward you. The provision of Grace and all things always. And the purpose for our kingdom work on Earth. He had promised that we would always be in abundance if we will put him first in life and finances. Amen, let's pray. Father, we thank you. And praise. You and love you today. Lord, for your word for, we thank you for this very important scripture that we have here today. Lord, just the promise that you make here. Lord is good. That we serve a god disabled. To do exceedingly abundantly above anything. We could pray for or even imagine Lord thank you for all your grace that it is sufficient that it abounds that we have as much grace as we need. Thank you, that is sufficient and thank you, Lord. That you promised to give us in abundance everything that we need for every good work. Lord help us to be people today like Abraham even though we can't see the future. We know that you can and we're going to trust you. Lord help us to be people who will trust you with our finances because it's all yours. You own it all. We are just stewards and we're just trying to take care of the portion with which you give us, Lord help us all to be cheerful givers help us all to have a generous spirit. And Lord help us all to love you with all of our heart, mind and soul forcing Christ name. I do pray. Amen. All right. Well, thank you for being here today.