A Generous Sacrifice

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>A Generous Sacrifice</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id454.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="No Greater Cause"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id456.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Becoming Generous"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"A Generous Sacrifice," 2 Corinthians 8:1-9</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, May 30, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div>      On this  Memorial Day weekend, we honor the sacrifice of soldiers.  One example is Pat Tillman, a soldier who recently lost his life in Afghanistan. He gave up a multi-million dollar career in the NFL to serve his country in a time of war. And he is only one example of all who are currently sacrificing so much for the freedom and protection of people, and to make this world a better, safer place. </div> <div>      Robert Maginnis, a military analyst for Fox News, related the following: "In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Martin Savidge of CNN, an embedded reporter with the 1st Marine battalion, was talking live with four young Marines near his foxhole on April 2, 2003. He had been telling how well the Marines had been looking out for him since the war started. He talked about the many hardships the Marines had endured and how they all looked after one another. He turned to the four and said he had cleared it with their commanders for them to use his video phone to call home. The 19-year-old Marine next to him asked if Savidge would instead allow his platoon sergeant to call his pregnant wife whom he had not been able to talk to in three months. Savidge was visibly moved by the request, shook his head yes, and the young Marine ran off to get the sergeant.  Savidge recovered after a few seconds and turned to the three young Marines still sitting with him and asked which one of them would like to call home first. The Marine closest to him responded without a moment's hesitation, 'Sir, if it is all the same to you, we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours, Lance Cpl Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida, who was killed on 3-23-03 near Nasiriyah, to see how they are doing.' At that, Martin Savidge broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was 'Where do they get young men like this?'" [courtesy of Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Ill.]</div> <div> <I>     </I>These soldiers, and others like them, are examples of genuine generosity and sacrifice. In a world in which we see selfishness in our faces, everyday, everywhere we go, we need more examples of sacrificial generosity. I combine the words sacrifice and generosity, because true generosity costs you something.</div> <div> <I>     </I>If anyone on earth ought to exhibit sacrificial generosity, it should be the people of God. In a world in which <I>we</I> exhibit selfishness by many of our daily choices, we need to <I>become</I> better examples of sacrificial generosity. You don't have to become a soldier and go to war to become a sacrificially generous person. You can exhibit a generous, giving lifestyle everywhere you go, any time of day, no matter what you have. In fact you will never find true satisfaction in your life and finances without being a generous person. Selfishness the wrong way in the search for satisfaction.</div> <div> <I>    </I><I> </I>Corinthians 8-9 is about financial generosity. It is about people in need, Christians who lived in Jerusalem, and about the attempts of the apostle Paul to help them financially. He had received a promise from the Corinthian church that they would help the Christians in Jerusalem. In these chapters, Paul reminds them of their commitment, and challenges them to follow through with what they said they would do.</div> <div>      Paul describes the generosity of the churches of Macedonia (vss. 1-5). They didn't have much, but they had great joy, and so they were very generous financially, even though they could not well afford it. They were not cheap or stingy or selfish. They begged for the opportunity to give, to help others in need. Their ability to be generous came from the grace of God (vs. 1). From <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=2Cor+8:1-9" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>2 Corinthians 8:1-9</U></A>, Paul gives <I>two lessons</I> about sacrifice and generosity.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Our generosity is in response to God's grace (vs. 9).</B></div> <div>      The generosity of Jesus provides the basis for our generosity. Jesus gave himself, he died in our place, so we might have life, freedom, forgiveness of sin, and hope for the present and future. This generous sacrifice is what we celebrate when we share in the Lord's Supper together. Because of our spiritual poverty and need, he gave up his riches, his very life, so that we might have all the spiritual riches he offers. Have you recognized your poverty and accepted his riches, or are you still trying to pay your own way to heaven?</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. To grow in generosity, we must first give ourselves to Jesus each day (vs. 5).</B> </div> <div>      Generosity with your life, your time, and your money begins with giving yourself to God (vs. 5). Such generosity replaces selfishness. You must recognize each day that God is the owner of you and all you "have," and he wants to be the Lord and master of it all. Each day say, "Lord, I give you myself, I give you my heart today." And when you take back control, give it back to him.</div> <div>      Jesus said, where your treasure is, that is where your heart is (Matthew 6:21). The use of your money and time reveals your true priorities and concerns. Who has ultimate control of your heart, the center of your priorities and choices? Be generous with your life, your time and your money, because Jesus was generous with you. In fact, <I>excel in generosity (vs. 7). Go above and beyond in your kindness, because of the "above and beyond" kindness of Jesus for you.</I></div> <bR> <div>      As a former Army Ranger, Seattle pastor Tom Allen described a special connection he felt to the characters in the World War II movie<I> Saving Private Ryan</I>: He said, "I was extremely proud -- until the last minute of the movie. I was proud watching the Rangers take Omaha Beach. Then they receive a mission to go deep into enemy territory to save Private Ryan. They hit skirmish after skirmish, and some of them are killed along the way. They finally get to where Private Ryan is holed up, and they say, 'Come with us. We've come to save you.' He says, 'I'm not going. I have to stay here because there's a big battle coming up, and if I leave my men they're all going to die.' What do the Rangers say? 'We'll stay here and fight with you.' They stay and fight, and it's gory and hard, and almost    everyone dies except Private Ryan. At the end, one of the main characters - played by Tom Hanks - is sitting on the ground. He's been shot and he's dying. The battle has been won. Private Ryan leans over to him, and Hanks whispers something to him. Everyone in the theater is crying because Tom Hanks was shot; I was crying because of what he said - it was so terrible. Ryan bent down and Hanks said, 'Earn this.' The reason that made me angry is no Ranger would ever say, 'Earn this.' Why? Because the Ranger motto for the past 200 years has not been 'earn this.' The Ranger motto for the past 200 years has been <I>Sua sponte</I>, 'I chose this.' I volunteered for this. If Hanks was really a Ranger he would have said, '<I>Sua sponte</I>.' In other words, 'This is free. You don't pay anything for this. I give up my life for you. That's my job.' And so when you look at the cross and see Jesus hanging there and hear him say, 'I thirst,' you do not hear 'earn this.' You never hear Jesus say, 'Earn this.' He doesn't say, 'I've given up everything for you. Now you need to gut it out for me.' What he says is 'I thirst.' He says, '<I>Sua sponte</I>. I volunteered for this. You don't have to pay anything for it.'" [Tom Allen, Seattle, Washington, <I>Preaching Today</I> audio].</div> <div>      We cannot by our good actions make God love us any more, and we cannot make him love us any less. All we can do is respond in faith with love and thanksgiving. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Accept his sacrificial, generous gift for you, and respond to him with love and thanksgiving and generosity.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Questions for Thought and Discussion:</B></div> <div> 1. Reflect on a time in which you were particularly generous, with money or time. How did you feel?</div> <bR> <div> 2. In what areas of your life does selfishness have its grip? Who besides you is affected by it? Does your selfishness really bring satisfaction? What makes it difficult to generous instead of selfish?</div> <bR> <div> 3. So, honestly, who has control of your heart, your priorities and your values? Evaluate your choices (especially in your time and money) to see if you have honestly, accurately answered this question. Your values will show up in how you choose to live your life.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2004, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>