WEBVTT 00:01.100 --> 00:03.300 Grace, mercy and peace to you from our Lord 00:03.300 --> 00:04.400 Jesus Christ. 00:04.500 --> 00:05.400 You may be seated. 00:08.900 --> 00:10.100 I have a question for you. 00:10.900 --> 00:12.100 Do you know what this is? 00:13.800 --> 00:14.400 A stick. 00:14.400 --> 00:15.000 Yep. 00:15.300 --> 00:18.900 And if you do know what it is, don't blurt it out too quickly here. 00:18.900 --> 00:20.900 I got a little testing to do. 00:21.200 --> 00:24.100 It's well it is a stick but it's not a walking stick. 00:24.100 --> 00:27.300 It could, it could be used for that. If Dr. 00:27.300 --> 00:30.500 Biermann's, in the room, it could be used to replace the mace. 00:30.700 --> 00:36.500 If you wanted to its kind of five pounds of kind of heavy brass. It's 00:36.500 --> 00:38.600 actually two brass pipes 00:38.600 --> 00:43.400 one inside the other. One of them, then spins, the inside one spins the 00:43.400 --> 00:43.400 top. 00:43.500 --> 00:43.800 Top. 00:43.800 --> 00:48.900 And when you spin it, you'll actually see there's six holes on the 00:48.900 --> 00:49.700 side. 00:52.400 --> 00:54.000 Anybody think they know what it is? 00:54.000 --> 00:55.000 Okay don't tell them yet. 00:55.000 --> 00:59.400 But yeah, you would know saying hey, 01:00.000 --> 01:01.100 Puzzlement, huh. 01:02.100 --> 01:05.800 Well, let me tell you. I grew up on a farm. 01:06.200 --> 01:13.000 And for one year I worked at a grain elevator. This is a grain probe. 01:14.100 --> 01:19.600 This is a probe that if farmers bring in a load of wheat to the 01:19.600 --> 01:20.300 elevator. 01:21.000 --> 01:24.700 Well the elevator personnel, and I was one of those one summer will go 01:24.700 --> 01:29.200 out to the truck and put this into the bed of the truck. 01:29.500 --> 01:32.700 Usually has about so much wheat in it in the back of the bed, at least 01:32.700 --> 01:35.200 with farm truck, that holds 200-300 bushel. 01:35.700 --> 01:41.700 So you put that in, you spin it and then wheat goes inside the holes. 01:42.300 --> 01:43.500 You close it back. 01:43.900 --> 01:47.400 You pull it out, you take it inside. You pour the wheat 01:47.400 --> 01:53.800 that's inside the probe into a container, and then you do some testing on 01:53.800 --> 01:54.000 it. 01:54.400 --> 01:58.300 That's so, why would you do testing on wheat and something like that? 01:58.300 --> 01:59.800 Well, two reasons. 02:00.600 --> 02:03.100 One you test for moisture level. 02:03.800 --> 02:09.000 If you put wet wheat into a barn into a, silo into a bin, it'll 02:09.000 --> 02:11.500 actually mold and actually get hot 02:11.500 --> 02:14.900 and in some cases, catch on fire inside of a bin. 02:14.900 --> 02:16.000 You don't want that to happen. 02:16.000 --> 02:19.900 So you don't need to about 13 and a half percent to is the right 02:19.900 --> 02:23.000 amount or less is the right amount of moisture in wheat. 02:23.700 --> 02:27.500 But another reason that you might that elevator would probe. 02:28.800 --> 02:34.600 The vast majority of farmers are honest, but there were always a few 02:34.600 --> 02:40.600 and the elevator people knew that that might try to put really weedy 02:40.600 --> 02:44.200 wheat at the very bottom of the truck. Really wheat 02:44.200 --> 02:48.200 that wasn't very good that they had taken out of a farm spot, that 02:48.600 --> 02:51.700 just had grown up in weeds, more than wheat. Put that at the bottom 02:51.700 --> 02:56.400 and then put a nice thin layer of wheat clean wheat on the top. 02:56.400 --> 02:59.800 And if the elevator people don't use 03:00.000 --> 03:01.800 this, they just look at the top of the wheat go 03:01.800 --> 03:05.500 that looks like good wheat and dump it into their elevator. 03:05.700 --> 03:08.100 They've got a hunk of junk. 03:08.300 --> 03:13.000 So, and so they will use this stick it in turn it, check it. 03:13.200 --> 03:17.200 And if they say, oh, this is more than 10% or 20% weeds, they'll 03:17.200 --> 03:22.100 either not accept the truck load of wheat or they will dock it and say 03:22.100 --> 03:26.200 you're going to get so much less per per bushel for that. 03:26.200 --> 03:30.100 So anyway, it's a we probe my wife and I actually have this 03:30.300 --> 03:34.900 stationed in our dining room, posted on the wall, just as a conversation 03:34.900 --> 03:35.300 starter. 03:35.300 --> 03:38.800 Now, all of you will know what the conversation starter is if you come 03:38.800 --> 03:39.100 there, 03:39.100 --> 03:43.000 so. But why 03:44.600 --> 03:45.600 did I say that? 03:45.600 --> 03:49.600 Why did I share that with you in context with our text today? 03:49.900 --> 03:51.400 Second Corinthians 9. 03:52.300 --> 03:58.300 Well, in the first five verses Paul is actually probing. Probing 03:58.300 --> 03:59.800 the Corinthian Christians 04:00.000 --> 04:01.100 about their faith. 04:01.900 --> 04:06.700 They had made promises sometimes to him months or weeks earlier saying 04:06.700 --> 04:10.000 that they were going to take up a collection for the Saints in 04:10.000 --> 04:10.800 Jerusalem. 04:11.100 --> 04:15.900 The Christians in Jerusalem because they were going through a famine 04:15.900 --> 04:19.800 time. And so he's writing a letter back to them, saying I'm going to be 04:19.800 --> 04:24.100 coming to visit, are you still planning to take up that collection? 04:24.100 --> 04:26.000 And are you doing it on a weekly basis? 04:26.300 --> 04:29.800 So that we can then take it on to Jerusalem. 04:30.500 --> 04:35.900 He's actually been boasting to the Macedonians to their North that 04:35.900 --> 04:37.500 they are taking up this collection. 04:37.500 --> 04:44.000 The Macedonians are are being amazed and wanting to replicate what 04:44.000 --> 04:45.500 they're doing as well. 04:46.200 --> 04:51.200 He's been boasting in their generosity and their zeal in the faith. 04:51.900 --> 04:56.600 But now Paul's probing to be clear of their plans to follow through 04:56.600 --> 04:59.800 with this. Their faith have been encouraging to others 05:00.900 --> 05:04.400 and we'll be encouraging, would be encouraging to the Jerusalem 05:04.400 --> 05:06.600 Christians when they received it. 05:07.100 --> 05:12.800 But Paul is probing to be sure that what they had said to him earlier 05:13.400 --> 05:17.500 is still true. But it doesn't just stop with the probe. 05:18.300 --> 05:25.400 He teaches the reasons for their giving, for our giving. Verses 6 and 7, 05:26.100 --> 05:30.600 The point is this whoever sow sparingly will also reap sparingly and 05:30.600 --> 05:33.500 whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 05:34.000 --> 05:35.300 Each one must give 05:35.300 --> 05:40.200 as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion for 05:40.200 --> 05:42.500 God, loves a cheerful giver. 05:43.900 --> 05:47.500 Paul is using an AG metaphor that probably many of the Corinthians 05:47.500 --> 05:48.700 would understand. 05:50.300 --> 05:51.500 Growing up on a farm 05:51.500 --> 05:56.900 I knew early on how much wheat dad planted per acre. In our area of 05:56.900 --> 05:57.400 Kansas 05:57.400 --> 05:59.700 it was one bushel for every acre. 06:00.200 --> 06:04.400 And then you hoped to have a harvest eight or nine months later of 30, 06:04.400 --> 06:06.500 40 50 bushel or more. 06:06.800 --> 06:13.300 if God so provided. Some years, it produced that well, other years it 06:13.300 --> 06:13.700 didn't. 06:13.700 --> 06:18.600 And if you had two or three years in a row, well, you might not keep 06:18.600 --> 06:20.200 ownership of your farm. 06:21.900 --> 06:28.500 But Paul isn't giving a farming lesson here, but a spiritual one. One about 06:28.600 --> 06:29.500 stewardship. 06:30.700 --> 06:34.300 Now, you seminarians haven't had the opportunity yet to preach 06:34.300 --> 06:37.500 stewardship sermons and I'm sure you're just itching to get out there 06:37.700 --> 06:38.500 and do that. 06:38.800 --> 06:42.100 I'd forgotten how many pastors we were going to have here for this 06:42.100 --> 06:42.800 service as well. 06:42.800 --> 06:46.900 I'm sure those are the favorite days for your preaching in the, in the 06:46.900 --> 06:47.700 past. 06:48.400 --> 06:53.300 Somebody has signed Second Corinthians 9 for you on a Sunday. Many of 06:53.300 --> 06:55.100 you visitors have probably heard 06:55.100 --> 06:58.200 many stewardship sermon, some of them good. 06:59.200 --> 06:59.800 Some of them 07:00.100 --> 07:01.400 not so good. 07:02.500 --> 07:07.200 But the main thing about stewardship sermons and about this text, is 07:07.200 --> 07:11.500 that the stewardship sermons need to not be based in the law. They 07:11.500 --> 07:13.700 should never be our church 07:13.700 --> 07:17.800 budget is low and therefore, you should give more, that's a law 07:17.800 --> 07:18.800 orientation. 07:19.100 --> 07:22.300 They should not be the Seminary needs money, and therefore, you should 07:22.300 --> 07:23.200 give more. 07:23.800 --> 07:25.400 That's a law orientation. 07:26.400 --> 07:29.200 But they should always be based in the gospel. 07:30.000 --> 07:37.100 And Paul does that in verses 8 through 11, He says and God is able to 07:37.100 --> 07:40.300 make all grace abound to you. 07:41.200 --> 07:43.200 So at having all sufficiency in all things 07:43.200 --> 07:48.700 at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, he 07:48.900 --> 07:52.300 God has freely distributed. 07:52.900 --> 07:59.700 He has given to the poor that is to you and to me. His 08:00.000 --> 08:02.200 righteousness endures forever. 08:03.500 --> 08:06.800 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and 08:06.800 --> 08:12.900 multiply your seed for sowing, that is the seed of God's word to sow 08:12.900 --> 08:17.600 out in our congregations and communities. The seed for sowing and 08:17.600 --> 08:19.800 increase the Harvest of your righteousness. 08:20.700 --> 08:24.000 You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity which 08:24.000 --> 08:27.200 through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 08:29.900 --> 08:32.600 Now, there is a law portion though. 08:34.100 --> 08:40.700 God has used a probe on each of us. In his omniscience 08:41.100 --> 08:42.400 He knows our hearts. 08:43.600 --> 08:46.300 He knows that many of us 08:46.300 --> 08:51.800 all of us are somewhat like those dishonest farmers that have the old 08:51.800 --> 08:56.200 Adam hidden at the bottom of our truck and try to cover over with a 08:56.200 --> 08:59.800 thin layer of good works that others could see. 09:02.200 --> 09:07.000 But God knows our old Adam. He sees the weeds and worse. 09:08.300 --> 09:11.600 Our self-centeredness our covetousness. 09:12.600 --> 09:20.500 Our lust, our anger, our envy. We know what, we try to hide from him. 09:22.200 --> 09:23.200 But he knows 09:24.300 --> 09:25.100 what we're hiding. 09:26.800 --> 09:32.800 But the great good news is that God sent his Son Jesus Christ for us. 09:33.400 --> 09:38.400 God loves you and me, despite our sin, despite our old Adam and God 09:38.400 --> 09:43.300 sent his Son Jesus Christ to take on all the unrighteousness in our 09:43.300 --> 09:50.800 hearts, and to replace it in God's eyes with Christ's righteousness. To 09:50.800 --> 09:52.600 replace our death 09:53.600 --> 09:56.400 with his gracious, Resurrection. 09:57.800 --> 09:59.800 Because of his blessings 10:00.000 --> 10:07.200 to us, we can be joyful and cheerful in response back to him. 10:08.100 --> 10:12.500 The gifts we Christians give are in response to his gifts for us and 10:12.500 --> 10:16.700 the gifts that we give to others in his love. 10:17.100 --> 10:22.000 Send a message to the world and to fellow Christians about the faith 10:22.000 --> 10:28.900 we have in Jesus. Paul goes on at verse 13 with more gospel. By their 10:28.900 --> 10:32.500 approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your 10:32.500 --> 10:39.300 submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ. And 10:39.300 --> 10:42.600 the generosity of your contribution for them 10:42.900 --> 10:46.600 and for all others. While they long for you and pray for you because 10:46.600 --> 10:52.200 of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for this 10:52.300 --> 10:54.800 inexpressible gift. 10:56.100 --> 10:59.800 May we always cling to the inexpressible gift that we 11:00.000 --> 11:04.300 have in our Lord Jesus Christ and respond to his gracious 11:04.300 --> 11:05.900 love to us, 11:06.900 --> 11:07.900 then to others. 11:09.500 --> 11:11.600 Peace of the Lord be with you always.