Passage: 2 Corinthians 8:16-24

[feyth-fuh l] Noun - “True to one's word, promises, vows; steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant.”

Do you struggle being faithful to what you’ve started? Are you suspicious that others could be faithful in how they lead and serve you? In this text, Paul and his associates model what it is to walk faithfully and to call out faithfulness in others. Integrity and accountability are universally embraced characteristics, but more people can spell those words than actually live those truths. Let’s consider how we can walk more faithfully with people and God’s cash in the church and in our lives.

Three lessons to learn in the nitty-gritty with people and money...

1. A Humble Willingness [8:16-17]

2. An Obvious Integrity [8:18-23]

3. An Evident Obedience [8:24]

Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for the faithful people in your life who have modeled that integrity is really

possible. Thank God for the chance to grow in faithfulness, honesty, and truth.

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to make you a better follower and a better leader. Ask God to reveal where you are

cutting corners, shading the truth, or walking is dishonesty right now.

Passage: 2 Corinthians 8:8-15

[pruh-vizh-uh n] Noun - “The providing or supplying of something.”

Do you struggle with your own self-sufficiency and like meeting all of your own needs? Do you have to have a backup to the backup just in case? When we really understand that Jesus gave up the riches of heaven, becoming poor, in order that we might be made rich, then we are free from hoarding and the fear of going without. The truth is that God provides exactly what you need when you need it, even when you see things differently. Consider this morning how the Gospel directs our giving of grace and our receiving of provisions.

Four Precious Practical Principles of God’s Provision...

1. The Reversal of Riches [8:8-9]

2. The Commitment to Finish [8:10-11]

3. The Readiness to Share [8:12-14]

4. The Protection from Hoarding [8:15]

Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for His commitment to do everything necessary to make you rich in grace

through Jesus. Thank Him for where you think you are going without right now, knowing He meets all your needs!

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to protect you from hoarding what He has entrusted to you. Ask God to help you

identify past promises that were never brought to completion so that you can now finish them.

Passage: 2 Corinthians 8:1-7

[lib-uh-reyt] Verb - “To set free, as from imprisonment or bondage.”

Do you care more about what you own than who owns you? Do you even know how to evaluate what or who owns you? When you have had grace lavished on you by the Great Giver of All, there is a liberating joy that expresses itself in generosity to others. If you are growing in conformity to the likeness of Christ, then you will be growing in generosity. And if you’re not generous, well ... you really need to consider what that reveals about the true condition of your heart.

Six Characteristics of Gracious Giving...

1. Rooted in the Giver [8:1]

2. Accompanied by Great Joy [8:2]

3. Beyond Capability [8:3]

4. Eager to Participate [8:4]

5. Flowing from Surrender [8:5]

6. Excelling in Practice [8:6-7]

̈Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for the lavish grace that has been, and continues to be, poured out on you by your Heavenly Father. Thank Him for not holding anything back, but giving His Son to make you His child.

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to increase your joy no matter what the circumstances you are facing. Ask God to make you more and more generous as you devote yourself more and more to Him.

“Systematic theology involves collecting and understanding all the relevant passages in the Bible on various topics and the summarizing their teachings clearly so that we know what to believe about each topic.” - Wayne Grudem

Ok... the Bible is one story and it all points to Jesus. And... I understand that I hear God speaking in the Spirit-inspired texts of Scripture. But … what is it that I must understand about my Christian faith, and why does it matter? Simply put, to understand who God is and what He has done, so that you worship and obey Him. Oh, my friend, there is no more important journey nor thrilling adventure than that of seeking God above all!

Three crucial principles to understanding the doctrinal essentials of your faith...

1. What Can Be Known About God Must Be Known

2. Mystery is Majestic, Leave it Alone

3. Take the Journey … Because Your Theology Does Impact How You Live!

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord. - J.I. Packer

“From every text of Scripture there is a road to Christ.” - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Reading the Bible can be hard. Listening to sermons can be hard too. So many questions about how everything fits together, what this means, and how does it apply to me? God may have spoken in His Word, and you may be trying to be A Hearing Church, but how do I possibly make sense of it all? We need a framework and foundation to read the Bible. We need a big picture to keep in mind in our “listening” journey so we don’t lose our way. Biblical theology is our guide and friend in this adventure!

Four crucial principles to understanding how the Bible fits together...

1. All Roads Lead to Christ

2. Guided by The Big Picture

3. Think Longitude and Latitude

4. Remember You Are in The Story

“It is possible to know Bible stories, yet miss the Bible story … the Bible has a storyline. It traces an unfolding drama... the story is God’s story. It describes His work to rescue rebels from their folly, guilt, and ruin. And in His rescue operation, God always takes the initiative.” - Edmund P. Clowney

“Holy Scripture serves the spiritually visible, apostolic church as the instrument through which the Spirit breaks and reforms the community.” - John Webster

Don’t you hate it when you are speaking, and nobody seems to be listening? Maybe they hear words falling on their ears, but there is no interest and attentiveness. God has spoken, are we listening? Do you know how to listen well? Are you attentive and on the edge of your seat to receive all that the Creator of the Universe has said to you? Pray with me that these three weeks will shape Leroy Chapel into an even greater Hearing Church.

Four crucial principles to hearing God’s words in texts of Scripture...

1. Starting at the Right Place

2. Exposing Relevance

3. Deliberately Unoriginal

4. Unleashing the Real Power

“[Charles] Simeon believed that a simple and clear exposition of the Bible is what makes a church healthy and happy. Biblical exposition does the heavy lifting of building up a church.” - David R. Helm

Passage: 2 Corinthians 7:13-16

[ih-fekt] Noun - “Power to produce results; influence”

Do you recognize the amazing influence your obedience has on the people around you? Do you appreciate the way obedience feels in your own life? The Godly sorrow that led the Corinthians to genuine repentance flowed into obedient choices. Those obedient acts had a profound effect on them and those around them. This morning consider the power your obedience has to fuel change in others as a great motivation for even greater obedience in your life.

Four favorable effects of responding in obedience to the truth...

1. Others Experience Comfort and Refreshment [7:13]

2. You Are Celebrated as True [7:14]

3. Others Feel a Greater Affection Toward You [7:15]

4. You Create a Freedom for Others to Speak Honestly [7:16]

Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for the fruit of repentance now visible in your life of obedience. Thank Him for the amazing opportunity to affect others through your choices to trust and follow Christ.

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to give you eyes to see the way your choices affect others both good and bad. Ask God to help you celebrate obedience in the lives of those around you in ways that bless them.

Passage: 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 [Part 2]

[jen-yoo-in] Adjective - “Possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, or origin; not counterfeit;

authentic; real.”

Do you know the difference between genuine repentance and false repentance? Do you know how to think about someone else’s confession of sin? This very well may be one of the most important subjects in Christian living and counsel where great wisdom and discernment is needed. So many people can be hurt by the so-called repentance of a fraud, and your own soul can shrivel up so quickly under the legalistic weight of heavy-handed calls to so-called repentance. My pastoral prayer for you is simple: that you would constantly marvel at the atoning work of Jesus Christ for your sin, and that you would look to the Holy Spirit for the power to live in freedom from sin’s bondage!

Four statements to wrestle with in our understanding of genuine repentance ...

1. When confession is a hoax, there is no repentance

2. Repentance is not about averting God’s wrath, but embracing God’s favor

3. An unbeliever can’t repent, and a believer doesn’t need to

4. Only a fool embraces the repentance of another at face value

Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for the once-for-all payment made by Jesus for all your sin - past, present, and future. Thank Him for the gift of the Spirit rehearsing your identity and empowering your obedience.

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to give you a greater sense for the seriousness of sin, and an even greater sense of the presence and power of the Spirit. Ask God to give you a softness of heart to repent, and a quickness of mind to believe His precious promises.

Passage: 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 [Part 1]

[greef] Noun - “Keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.” Do you know the difference between good grief and bad grief? Do you love and grieve the right things? Paul hated to bring sorrow to his friends in Corinth, but he rejoiced at seeing that good grief produce genuine repentance. Do you rightly grieve over your sin, not because it isn’t forgiven, but because it is? I pray more and more of you find that unsurpassed love and joy that flows out of godly grief and genuine repentance!

The clear path to loving God more than sin ...

1. Love that Produces Grief [7:8-9]

2. Grief that Produces Repentance [7:10-11]

3. Repentance that Produces Love [7:12]

Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for the basis of your salvation being the finished work of Christ alone. Thank Him for the gift of repentance to see your sin rightly and see the cross brightly.

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to give you appropriate sorrow over the sin so unbecoming to your identity as a child of God. Ask God to give you a softness of heart to repent, and a quickness of mind to believe His precious promises.

Passage: 2 Corinthians 7:2-7

[kair] Verb - "To be concerned; have thought or regard.”

Do you have a heart wide open to your Christian friends? Do you feel the weight of caring for others as more important than yourself? In the face of affliction, rejection and exhaustion, Paul was filled with comfort and overflowing with joy in friendship with the Corinthians. Do you know where comfort like that comes from as you care for others? Are you able to find joy in relationship with people in process? Let’s learn from another honest text this morning to move us forward in grace!

Two components of caring relationships with hearts wide open …

1. A Big Bold Biblical Heart [7:2-4]

- What friends who care give to others …

2. A Group of Growing Godly Relationships [7:5-7]

- What friends give to those who care …

Gaining Gratitude – Thank God for the comfort you have received from God to be able to comfort others. Thank God for the smallest measure of joy you may receive in the great adventure of loving other needy people.

Prompting Prayer – Ask God to give you boldness to speak truth with confidence and without condemnation. Ask God to comfort you right now where you are depressed. Ask God to give you eyes to see that comfort when

it comes.