Sermon Tone Analysis

Grace Giving

When we come to church - I wonder what it is that we look forward to most?

Seeing our friends - the fellowship, community that is experienced at church

The service or ministry that we partake in

nursery, choir, security, ushering, bus routes

Teaching/ preaching of God’s Word - learning the book...

The invitation - salvation of the lost - baptism, people joining the church...

Maybe it’s not as spiritual - maybe it’s wearing that new outfit (ladies)

maybe it’s driving your new car - so people can see it… you’re excited about it

maybe your heart is uplifted by the special music & that’s your favorite part of the day...

But when we prepare ourselves for church, do we stop and think about what should be one of the things on the top of our list:

Offering...

for some - you give and there is no problem with that at all -

you have recognized that the Lord owns it all & you faithfully give to him “as he has prospered you...” - the tithe is the Lord’s...

Someone this morning - Pastor - I have no problem with giving - good message - amen..

For some - its a battle...

battle of faith.... will God take care of me???

battle of control - I would give - but I don’t give because of:

who the pastor is...

how the $ is spent...

who we support as missionaries...

(The wonderful thing about giving to the Lord is, He can take care of all of those things…)

to be honest - those are stewardship / ownership problems...

If it’s really God’s, then why do you have a say in how it is spent...

When I look at scripture - there isn’t a single person who will stand before the Lord for how this church is operated - other than me… there are definitely different levels of stewardship - but as the undershepherd - ultimately the weight of responsibility is mine.

3 biblical titles that refer to the one office that we call Pastor:

Pastor - Shepherd

Elder - Pres-be-turos

Indeed, it contains from the very first the positive element of venerability.

This explains the distinction: ἐγὼ παλαιότατός εἰμι, σὺ δὲ πρεσβύτατος, Plut.

Nicias, 15, 2 (I, 533b).

Hence the gen.

use of the comp.

and superl.

for that which is of weight or of supreme worth:

Bornkamm, G. (1964–).

πρέσβυς, πρεσβύτερος, πρεσβύτης, συμπρεσβύτερος, πρεσβυτέριον, πρεσβεύω.

G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.),

Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 6, p. 652).

Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Bishop / Episkopos - Overseer - ruler / protector - guard -

Of course - we have faithful men in place - and they help w/ the decisions of ministry - guidance, accountability, direction

But I wonder if any - think about the offering as the greatest part of the service???

the offering has the greatest tie to the promises of God - more so than any other single part of the service...

also

You see the blessings of God are connected to our giving...

not just the what - but also the how...

Grace Giving

Pray:

This group of believers are instructed by the Apostle Paul to follow the Biblical example of giving that was present in the churches of Macedonia…

These churches were not churches filled with people who were:

Prosperous

Problemless

These believers conversely were

Poor &

Poverty Stricken

But there was something about these people...

They were generous givers...

1.

They were Generous

A. Afliction

Great trial - not a small issue

Affliction -

Contents: A. θλίβω, θλῖψις in Secular Greek.

B. θλίβω, θλῖψις in the LXX.

C.θλίβω, θλῖψις in the NT: 1.

The Nature of Tribulation; 2. The Experience of Tribulation.

1. θλίβω in the lit.

sense: “to press,” “squash,” “rub,” “hem in”: Hom.

Od., 17, 221; Aristoph.

Pax, 1239: (ὁ θώραξ), θλίβει τὸν ὄρρον, Lys., 314; Theocr.

Idyll., 20, 4: χείλεα θλίβειν, “to kiss”; Demosth.

Or., 18, 260: τοῦς ὄφεις θλίβων, Mk. 3:9: ἵνα μὴ θλίβωσιν αὐτόν (“crush”); “to press together”: Plat.

Tim., 60c: σφόδρα ἔθλιψε … αὐτόν (sc.

τὸν τῆς γῆς ὄγκον), cf.

Wis.

15:7 … κεραμεὺς ἁπαλὴν γῆν θλίβων.

This leads in the past part.

to the sense of “to be small or narrow”: Luc.

Alex., 49: τῆς πόλεως θλιβομένης ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους; Theocr.

Idyll., 21, 18: θλιβομένα καλύβα (hut), cf.

Mt. 7:13: στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν (antonym: πλατεῖα καὶ εὐρύχωρος), but also Dion.

Hal.

Ant.

Rom., VIII, 73: βίοι τεθλιμμένοι (slender competence); Ditt.

Syll.3, II, 708, 28; Diog.

L., II, 109: τοῖς ἐφοδίοις θλίβεσθαι (“to be in want”), IV, 37. Similarly θλῖψις has the lit.

meaning of “pressure” in the physical sense, Epic.

Ep., 2 (p.

49, Usener): θλίψεως τῶν νεφῶν γενομένης, Strabo, I, 3, 6: διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἴσης ἀντέρεισιν (resistance, opposition) καὶ θλῖψιν (τοῦ ὕδατος).

In medical terminology, Oribasius Fr., 42 (CMG): θλῖψις στομάχου, Gal.

De Differentiis Febrium, I, 9 (VII, 306, Kühn): pressure of the pulse; Soranus Gynaecia (CMG, IV), I, 42: ὑστερικαὶ θλίψεις.

2. θλίβω in the figur, sense, “to afflict,” “oppress,” “harass.”

Though it is not always possible to distinguish between external and internal affliction, the following main meanings may be discerned: a. “to afflict” or “to discomfit,”

trials / tribulations

Persecution - pressure...

B. Abundance

i. Joy

a.

As a phenomenon, a direct feeling or better self-perception, as self-being in self-transport, joy is uniform, and so are its manifestations even to tears of joy, Aesch.

Ag., 270 and 541.

It is everywhere a culmination of existence: “Joy, beauteous spark divine.”

It strains beyond itself.