In August of 2022, I preached this passage as part of a sermon series titled “Back to Basics.” Now that we have come to this chapter again as I preach through the book of 2 Corinthians, I trust that in the providence of God, this sermon, which was first preached only nine months ago, will again be used by God to bless and edify the church.

Paul encourages the church to excel not only in the good things of faith, speech, knowledge, and earnestness but also in the act of grace. Paul wanted the church to give generously to the Christians in Jerusalem, but he also wanted the Corinthians to give in a way that honored God and testified to the gospel they had received.

We could certainly find much to point to in our current cultural context that would testify to the dysfunctional and delusional elevation of personal autonomy over truth. However, all of us have a natural inclination to preference our desires and autonomy over others. Thus, what Paul teaches in this passage is certainly radical in contrast to our present-day, but truthfully it has always been counter-culturally radical. The gospel compels us to sacrifice many things, but the first of which is our very lives.

Sermons on giving are uncomfortable for everybody. They are uncomfortable for the hearer because our giving is such an intimate testimony of who and what has true lordship in our lives. Giving, because it is not generally public knowledge, is often the very first area in your life that becomes disobedient when you begin to turn away from the Lord.

But I want you to understand that preaching on giving is not just uncomfortable for the hearer; it is uncomfortable for the preacher as well. The fear of being labeled "money focused" or only money focused is a limiting fear for many who preach. The right desire not to be identified with the false teachers of the health-wealth-prosperity gospel movement causes many to limit how much they say about giving in faith.

Yet the command to give tithes and offerings is found throughout Scripture from the Old Testament to the New. I believe if you are to walk in faithfulness before the Lord, you must be obedient in your giving. Thus, faithful preaching and faithful pastors must preach on giving.