Why Do You Have What You Do?

10th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/2/15
2 Corinthians 9:8-11


Why Do You Have What You Do?
I. So that you can honor your God
II. So that you can be generous


An article from a March 2015 edition of Scientific American indicates that the average American has no idea how little they really have. Does that include you? I hope not.

The article reports that the top 20% of the richest Americans actually own nearly 85% of our country’s wealth. Do the math. That means 80% of Americans only own 15% of the wealth. That’s a staggering inequality. I’m going to assume every person here this morning belongs in that 80%. So, if we compare ourselves with the top 20%, we have very little.

And yet Paul tells the Corinthian Christians and, by extension, you and me, “you will be made rich in every way.” Do you feel rich? Maybe not by the standards of our US wealth, but we are by God’s standard, and his is the only one that really counts.

So, the question isn’t whether or not we’re rich. The question is, why? Why has our God given us what we have? Why has he made you and me rich? Why do you have what you do?

Let’s keep that question before us this morning as we ponder what our God tells us through these words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9. As we feed our souls on Jesus, the Bread of Life, our God fills us with a godly attitude towards all that he has given us and empowers us to use it in God-pleasing ways.

Part I.

Only people such as Saddam Hussein erect statues of themselves. Most statues are placed after a person has died by people who admire and want to remember what they accomplished in life. But, in a way, people are still erecting statues of themselves. You see it on the sides of monstrous buildings such as Trump Plaza. It’s common for buildings on college and university campuses to be named after the generous donor who made those buildings possible. Endowment funds often carry the name of the donor who created them. Why is that? There’s often a trifle, and in some cases an enormous amount, of pride and the desire for recognition. It can be as glaring as, “I’m rich. Look at how much I have. Look at what I can do.” If it weren’t, why not give the object of your generosity a generic name?

But those kinds of situations aren’t limited to the very wealthy. One of the motivators that drives people to work hard is to get ahead. We tend to think that the harder we work the more we’ll have. So that when all is said and done, we can pat ourselves on the back and state, “What I have is the result of what I’ve done.” A monument to self.

Paul pulls that self-centered rug right out from under our way of thinking with these words, “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.” That one sentence contains a mountain of truths for our lives.

And they all rest on this one small, familiar word—grace. God’s grace. God’s grace is his favor which we don’t deserve. God’s grace means he gives to us because of who he is and not because of who we are or what we’ve done. In other words, what we have is not the result of our hard work. It’s all due to God’s grace.

When Paul mentions the grace of God, he doesn’t want us to think first about the stuff we own. He wants us to recall what our God has given us, things we could never do enough work to attain, things that even the combined assets of the Waltons, the Buffets and the Gates could never buy. He want us to recall Jesus. Our greatest problem isn’t that our bank accounts are too slim; our greatest problem is that the holiness God demands of us in non-existent. Our greatest problem is not that our personal worth is too small; our greatest problem is that our sins are too great. The one who dies with the most toys still dies, and then meets his Maker. I can’t think of anything more distressing than that. But we don’t need to stress out over it. We don’t even need to worry for a moment. Because God in his grace sent us his Son. He came to this earth as your Brother, with your flesh and blood. There’s no greater gift and it’s all yours!

That God-man came to win for you another gift of God’s grace—forgiveness of sins. I have a personal mountain of sins and I add to it every day. But Jesus has removed that mountain. God no longer sees it. It cost Jesus his life, but he did it. And now we have the holiness that God requires—the holiness of Jesus himself. All grace. God’s grace.

With that being the case, that our God has given us his Son and forgiveness, then these words stand as God’s truth, “in all things at all times, having all that you need.” Now who else can claim that but you and your fellow-Christians? Paul directs our hearts, which too often long and pine for the things of this world, to divine providence. All our effort and all our working doesn’t provide us with what we have. God does. And he does it no matter when, no matter where, no matter how much or how little. So stop the mad dash! Shed the faulty—no, make that the devilish thinking—that you need more. Your God has already provided all that you really need—a Savior. And now he gives you what you need to live here on earth, too.

So recognize that great truth and then point your life to your God. Honor him each day as the One who gave you all that you need in every situation.

Why do you have what you do? So that you can honor God.

We stated earlier that it’s not appealing to erect monuments to ourselves. It can be self-honoring. But isn’t that our struggle every day? We join our world in measuring our personal value by what we have. We’re tempted to play the game of looking like we have more than we really do. That’s called the monument of impressions. We’re driven to make it in life. And why? Well…so that others can see it. We gaze at the monuments others have erected and wonder why we don’t have what they have so that we can do the same. In other words, it really is all about us. Sounds like we need to go back to that one small, familiar word in our text—grace. You are the object of God’s grace. That grace centers in Christ. Without him, you really have nothing. But by God’s grace he is your Savior. His death has paid for your sins. He’s washed them all away, even the monuments to self. Now we’re free to honor him with all that we have. That’s so much more attractive!

Part II.

Have you ever received a gift that was less than you expected? I’m not talking about materialistic expectations. I’m talking about a gift which doesn’t come close to matching the meaningfulness of the relationship. For instance, did you buy your wife’s birthday gift at Dollar General, even though you have $200 in cash in your wallet to spend on yourself? Such stingy gifts are not appreciated.

Then it’s a good thing that Paul reminds us, “You will be rich in every way,” so that we can be generous. Paul speaks about having all that we need so that we can “abound in every good work.” And then he gives an example of what he’s talking about. He quotes a passage from Psalm 112 which speaks about scattering gifts to the poor. At first, you might think he’s referring to our God who gives all people all things. But he’s not. He referring to you and me, the people who have all that we need in every situation. Certainly God wants us to use what he gives us to meet our needs. But he also gives us his blessings so that we can share them with others. In fact, so that we can be generous in doing so.

Being generous isn’t always easy. We have to fight our inbred selfishness. So, how can we be generous? Paul reminds us, “His righteousness endures forever.” Paul is not saying that our acts of generosity make us righteous. He’s saying that our generosity flows from the fact that we’ve been declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus Christ. It goes back to that “sin problem” we mentioned earlier. God simply declares us to be holy. He can do that because of what Jesus did for you. Since we don’t have to use our blessings to buy our holiness, we can use them to help others.

Again, being generous isn’t easy. We have to fight our inbred selfishness. But our God empowers us to be generous. Paul promises that God “will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” Who doesn’t want to be known for being generous? The good news is, our God works generosity in us as he feeds us on Jesus, the Bread of Life. When you know and believe that your God has given you his best—his Son—then you have the power to be generous in helping others.

That sounds like what we call a fruit of faith. And you’re right. It is! You see, God didn’t stop giving to you when he gave you faith in Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. He literally piled the blessings on you. And your faith in Jesus will produce the fruits that God is looking for, evidence of your faith in Jesus. One of them is joyful generosity. Your faith in Jesus can’t help but be generous!

And when we are generous, then listen to what occurs. “Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” I hope that every day you thank the Lord for something—your faith, your forgiveness, your food, your health, your family. Wouldn’t it be great if God used you to cause others to thank him? Indeed it would! So be generous in every way possible.

Why do you have what you do? So that you can be generous.

One more time—it isn’t easy being generous. We have to fight our inbred selfishness. That’s what your baptism was all about. Your Old Adam was drowned at your baptism and God created a new person who lives by faith in Jesus. You have the power of the risen Lord Jesus living in you, the power to honor God with the way that you use your blessings from God and the power to be generous. The God who gave you all you have empowers you to be generous. Let generosity abound in your life! That’s why you have what you do! Amen.