November 23, 2025 – Sow Generously; Reap Abundantly – 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 explains the principle of generous giving, emphasizing that giving should be cheerful and not forced, and that God blesses those who give generously. The passage uses the metaphor of sowing and reaping to say that how much you give determines how much you will receive. It teaches that God provides the means to give generously, which in turn allows for more giving and brings thanksgiving to God, ultimately pointing to God’s “indescribable gift” of Jesus Christ.

Key principles of giving

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing[a] in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He scatters abroad; he gives to the poor;
    his righteousness[b] endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.[c] 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us, 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you[d] glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your partnership with them and with all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

“The reading today is from the New International Version, and I’m reading 2 Corinthians 9 6-15. Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should give what they have decided in their heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 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. As it is written, he has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor. His righteousness endures forever.

 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. 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.”

 “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. Because of the service by which you have proved yourself, 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. And in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you because of the surprising grace God has given you.

 Thanks to God for his indescribable gift. This is the word of God for the people of God.

 Thank you, Doris, for reading for us this morning.”

 “Well, it’s already started. What am I talking about? The Egg Bowl smack talk?

 No. Christmas decorations? Well, maybe, but no.

 I’m talking about those commercials that we always see on TV during the holiday season. The starving puppies, the hurting children, our wounded veterans. You know, the commercials that are designed to grab at your heart and cause you to open up your wallet.

 I’ve been seeing them a lot more lately. Now, I’m not knocking those things. Those organizations, they do a lot of good, and we should support them.

 But they all understand a truth about humanity. That there is a stream that connects from our heart to our wallets. Right?”

 “That’s true. It’s true. You pull on one, and the other one moves.

 We know it, and yet we still fall for it. We sit there with a lump in our throat as we watch the commercials, and we want to give $1,000. But then the commercial ends, and we go right back to eating our ice cream.

 Paul understood emotional appeals, but he doesn’t use them. He could have told gut-wrenching stories about the suffering believers in Jerusalem who were starving and persecuted. He could have told those stories in this letter, in his appeal to the Corinthian Church.

 But he doesn’t. Why? Why not?

 “Because Paul isn’t trying to pry open their wallets. He’s trying to open up their hearts.

 He was trying to open their hearts up so that they could experience the freedom and the power of real generosity. In 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, which we’ve been studying a bit over the last couple of Sundays, Paul lays out spiritual principles of generosity. Earlier, he, in some of his other writings, like in Colossians, Paul warns about this enemy that resides within our hearts, called greed.

 It’s that inner voice that says to us that what I have, I earned, and I deserve it. Andy Stanley calls it the consumption assumption. What breaks greed’s grip in our life?

 It’s not guilt, it’s not manipulation, but it’s generosity. Because generosity has always been a heart issue. It’s really not a money issue.”

 “That’s why emotional appeals, they don’t last. They don’t produce genuine generosity. Because when the emotion dries up, the giving does too.

 You know what I’m talking about? Think about the red kettle at Christmas. The ringing bell and the red kettle.

 You toss in a buck, and you keep walking.

 Or what about the woman at the intersection that’s holding up the cardboard sign that says, I’m hungry. Can you help me? Maybe you roll down the window and hand out a five.

 Or I’ve seen some people that act like they’re talking on their telephones.

 And then when the light turns green, you start thinking about your grocery list again. Y’all, that’s emotional giving. And it’s fine, but it’s not biblical generosity.

 You see, biblical generosity breaks greed, and it connects our giving to something bigger than our feelings. And that’s what Paul is after in 2 Corinthians chapter 9. Here’s a big idea for you today.

 Generosity is a practical demonstration of faith and unity. Now, let me explain. So, in verse 6 that Doris began with, Paul writes, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

 “Y’all, it doesn’t get more practical than seeds and money, does it? Those are the most practical, natural things that we deal with. Paul chooses farming language here on purpose because everyone knows the principle.

 Few seeds equals small harvest. More seeds equals more harvest. It’s a simple principle.

 It’s practical. Your giving is seed. My giving is seed.

 And when we all sow according to our ability and desire, that Paul says, the harvest grows. I bring my seed, you bring your seed, we give it, and it produces more than any one of us could produce on our own. That’s a natural principle, isn’t it?

 We do more together than we can individually. That’s faith in action. I give what I can, you give what you can as an act of faith, and God blesses it abundantly.

 This is how our church operates. This is how we fund a $1.2 million budget for 2026. Now, when we talk about how we are able to meet that budget, faulty assumption, they assume that it comes from a handful of massive gifts, some big gifts, that knock a dent in that $1.2 million budget.”

 “But it doesn’t. It comes from consistent, proportionate giving. Some people give $1,000 a year.

 Some people give $5,000 a year. Some people give $10,000 a year. And they spread it out, weekly, monthly.

 You see? Proportionate, consistent. Ordinary seed, that gets multiplied by a faithful God.

 That’s the principle. Practical faith.

 Putting an amount in your budget. Lord, this is what I desire to give. And we stick to it.

 But here’s the other side of sowing and reaping. So a farmer plants their seed, right? But who produces the harvest?

 How does the seed grow? Well, that takes God, doesn’t it? The one who provides the rain and the sunshine.

 And really, if we’re honest, the seed to begin with. I mean, who among us can produce a seed? We can’t.

 We can manipulate them with science and biology, but we can’t produce it from nothing. And we don’t make the sunshine, and we don’t make the rainfall, and we don’t make the process happen. Paul says in verses 10-11, Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food.”

 “Who is that? God. He goes on to say, God will also supply and increase your store of seed, and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness, and you will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.

 You see, God supplies the seed, and God enlarges the harvest. And God enriches our lives so that we can be generous on every occasion. That’s why our posture is simple.

 If God provides it, we will do it. That’s how we operate as a church, under my leadership, and under the leadership of your committee chairs and your staff. We do not participate in deficit spending.

 No. No deficit spending. But we don’t panic either.

 No frantic ringing of hands.

 We have faith that God will fund what He calls us to do.

 Paul says that some grain becomes bread for others. You know, meeting immediate needs, feeding the hungry. But some grain, you know, if you’re going to think about the future, some grain has to be put back, doesn’t it?

 In order to provide the seed that gets planted in the next season.”

 “And in order to do that, to feed the hungry, to provide for the needs of others, and to also hold back some for later, it requires us to trust that God will continue providing enough, that God will make the harvest big enough for both of those things. And when he does, Paul says, we reap a harvest of righteousness. We become more like Jesus.

 That’s righteous. Our generosity grows. That’s righteous.

 And our thanksgiving overflows. That’s righteousness. And then Paul says, and God is glorified.

 That’s righteousness.

 That’s abundance, too. So not only is generosity a practical act of faith, it’s also a demonstration of unity. Now what do we mean by that?

 You see, generosity is God’s heart on display. Scripture repeats it. In 2 Corinthians 8 verse 9, Paul writes that Jesus gave up heaven.

 He became poor. He who was rich became poor. Why did he do that?

 To save us. To redeem us. So that we who are poor could become rich.

 You see, God is a giving God. John 3.16 reminds us of that. For God so loved the world that he what?”

 “He gave his only begotten son. And then Paul quotes from Psalm 112, verse 9, right in the middle there, of what Doris read. He who scatters gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.

 See, God is generous towards us. And Paul says, each of you must give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 You cannot fake cheerful giving. It’s not emotional giving. It’s about transformational giving.

 And who transforms our hearts so that they become cheerful in giving? It’s God. It’s the Holy Spirit shaping us so that we reflect the heart of God.

 And how does that happen? Paul tells us in verse 8. He said, God is able, God is able to make all grace abound towards you.

 You see, we bring the faith, and God gives the grace. God does it. And together, we move in unity with God’s heart.

 You see the unity there? God is generous. We are like God.

 We become generous.

 You got your hand out? I want to talk to you a second about that.

 “And by the way, I want to say to you that if you happen to be one of the ones who did not receive a letter in the mail and a pledge card probably about 10 days ago, I assure you, we mailed out over 400 of those. And if you didn’t get it, I’m going to say it got lost in the mail somewhere. If you want one, please reach out and let me know.

 I have a whole stack of them downstairs in the office. I’d be happy to give you one. It includes, the packet included a letter from me.

 It included a printout of our budget for next year where every dollar is going. And also it included one of those pledge cards. So I apologize if you didn’t get that.

 It was unintentional and I’m going to blame it on the USPS.”

 “But I did want to mention something to you as we consider how to respond to all the things that we’ve been hearing about. This card right here gives you a summary of what our church has been working on in putting together our 2026 budget. And what you see on this card are four bold moves that came out of some of the neighborhood gatherings we did back in 23 and 24.

 And those things have been pondered upon and prayed over by our Vision and Strategic Planning Committee. And they’ve begun to talk to our leadership in our church about these four bold moves. And in January, we’re going to focus on these and help us to understand more about them.

 But I wanted to show them to you, to let you see what we’re trying to accomplish through our budget next year. The first thing is stir the flame of spiritual renewal. And we mentioned some specific things there of how we plan to do that.”

 “We want to enhance our worship experiences. You know, do things like get rid of these portable speakers and take care of our sound issues right here in this room. We want to clarify our discipleship pathway by starting new classes and serving college students on the campus at MC.

 And then, the fourth bold move is launch new mission initiatives, which we’ve already done, but we want to continue those. The Beds for Kids program, the Kids Beach Club at Eastside, as well as continuing to tell our story to our community and share the message of Christ. Those are the four bold moves.

 That we are sowing into as a church. Through our giving, through our time, our service, we’re going to sow into those things. These are not projects, but they become for us as a church, these are our seed that we’re planting in our church and our community.

 That enable us to do the ministry that we feel God is calling us to do. These things are seed for changing people’s lives. They are seeds for the next generation that Tommy and the quartet were singing about this morning.

 “They are seeds for the kingdom of God.

 So, church, as we wrap things up here, here’s the truth that Paul is pressing into our hearts today. God gives seed to us. We sow it, and God produces the harvest from it.

 That’s the rhythm of the kingdom. That’s how God operates. That’s his economy.

 And every time we step into it, something changes.

 And not just out there in the world, but in us too. You see, generosity frees us from the grip of greed. It aligns our hearts in unity with God’s heart.

 It becomes a living, breathing act of faith and unity when we come together for a common mission. And we all participate in that mission in some way. You see, today is Commitment Sunday, we call it.

 It’s one of those moments where our faith becomes visible. It becomes tangible. And y’all, we’re not here to twist arms or stir up anyone’s emotions.

 We’re just here to plant our seed. We’re here to say together, Lord, as you provide, we will sow.”

 “And our Four Bold Moves for 26, those are things that are bigger than any one of us can accomplish on our own. But they’re well within reach when we all sow according to our ability and desire. When we give consistently, proportionately, and cheerfully.

 When we do that, scripture says something powerful happens. That God will enlarge the harvest. He will increase our capacity.

 And He will use us to be a blessing to other people. And He will even grow righteousness. In us.

 Y’all, this is the kind of church we want to be. So today, I’m asking you, not for an emotional gift, not a guilt driven gift, but a faith filled commitment to sow generously in the coming year. A commitment that says, it’s your way of saying, I believe in the mission of this church.

 I trust that God will provide for me. And I want to be a part of something bigger than myself.”

 “So in just a moment, we’re going to invite you, those of you, I know some of you already placed your card in the offering plate, and that’s perfectly fine. But some of you may want to walk the aisle and put it in this box here, this church box. I know I will join you in doing that.

 Before I do that, I plan to kneel at the altar and ask God to help me to keep the commitment that I’m making today. You see, Debbie and I are making a significant increase to our pledge for next year. We are stepping up to tithing.

 And I’m praying God helps us to keep that commitment. So as you come, come with this prayer in your heart. Lord, this is my seed.

 I pray you would use it for your harvest. And when we sow together, I believe we will reap abundantly. Not because we’re great givers, but because God is a great provider.

 So as Libby plays for a moment, this is your invitation to come and bring your offering of commitment to God. And then when you are done responding, I will close us in prayer, and we “will close out our service.

 Let us pray. God, today, we respond to Your message, to Your Holy Word, with this desire to live more generously in our lives. And God, today, we demonstrate that act of faith by making our commitment to You, to honor You in what we have been given.

 And so God, I ask that You would help us to be firm in our commitment throughout this coming year.

 We know that it won’t always be easy for us. We pray You would give us the grace to trust in You. God, I pray that You would give us wisdom and common sense in what we offer to You.

 And God, may we respond not with compulsion or emotion, but willingly as a disciple of Jesus Christ, with the desire to be more like Him. So Lord, may we experience this harvest of righteousness in our life as we reflect Your generous heart. Lord, do this work in us.

 And may our church have what it needs to do what You have called us to do. Give us clarity about that, Lord. Let us prayerfully seek Your guidance.”

 “And we trust that You will lead us. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 I leave you with these words from Ephesians. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we can ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations. Amen.

 God bless you.”