2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Making the Son Shine
Through the Scripture, the Bible speaks of Jesus and salvation as light and the
rejection of Jesus and light as darkness.
In speaking of Jesus, the Apostle John wrote:
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Jesus also takes up the comparison, speaking of Himself as light and the lost
world as being in the darkness of sin.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
And so the analogy goes on through the Bible.
Do you suppose it is a coincidence that the world hangs in utter darkness, with
the only light being the light of the sun? Is that not a picture of its spiritual
condition as well? A world enveloped in the darkness of sin, with only a small
portion of it, lit by the light of God’s Son, Jesus. Jesus is the true Son-shine.
You and I are very fortunate. We live in a part of the world that has been in
the Son light for hundreds of years. Yet, most of the world is in darkness.
1. Many parts of the world have never had more than the smallest ray of Son
light into their village or town or region.
2. Many language groups do not have any portion of the Bible translated into
their language. (In an article dated March 31, 2011, it was reported that
as many as 2,000 people groups have no Bible.)
3. The same article reported that as many as 1,000 people groups have no
missionary working with them, let alone a church!
http://www.ethne.net/information-strategies/no-christians-no-scripture-no-
missionaries
4. And sadly, portions of the world which were once lit with the gospel of
Christ are now regressing back into the darkness.
In an article on Fox News, entitled Religion May be Headed for Extinction, a
recent study revealed that a growing portion of the world population now identify
themselves as not affiliated with any religion. In nine nations, the percent
has increased up to 40 to 60%. The nations noted were Australia, Austria, the
Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and
Switzerland.
The article noted that this movement has taken root in all 50 of the United
States as well.
How can we make the Son shine on the whole world? Through the work of MISSIONS.
1. There is a need for missionaries. This is a great and desperate need of
the day and it would please me immensely if some from our church would
surrender to go; but let’s start with something even simpler than that.
2. There is a need for money to support those who have already surrendered
and in some case to keep those on the field who are already trained and
there!
This morning, let’s consider our part in Making the Son Shine on the Whole World.
I. \\#2Cor 9:6\\ Notice God’s Principle of Giving
A. The principal in a nutshell is, "Sow a little, get a little, Sow
a lot, get a lot."
1. This is a basic farming and spiritual law.
2. A farmer who sows a short row of corn realizes that he will get
a proportional harvest to what he sows.
3. You and I need to understand that we will receive from God
blessings in proportion to our obedience to God.
4. \\#7\\ And notice that Paul is definitely teaching about giving
money.
a. If that sounds a little bit like those on the name-it and
claim-it station, it is because that they have built their
false teachings on and around true Biblical teachings.
b. Their problem is not where they START their teaching. It is
where they END it.
c. I am not going to tell you that you can sow a seed a reap a
whirlwind.
d. I am not going to promise you health, wealth, and fortune if
you tithe and give offerings.
e. However, I am going to tell you that the Bible does teach there
is a relationship between doing what God tells you and
receiving both spiritual and material blessings from God.
B. Let’s understand how this principal works.
1. You reap what you sow.
a. A farmer sows peas and gets peas, carrots… carrots,
corn… corn.
b. The point is, if you want to get material blessing from God,
you need to sow some material seed.
c. This is your life and you can control a great deal of how it
goes.
(1) If all you want from God is heaven when you die, then get
saved, pray a little, go to church a little, a be
spiritually pious and that is about all you will get.
(2) But if you want God to bless your work, bless your health,
bless your family, bless your church, and generally bless
you with a peaceful, joyful, and prosperous life, you are
going to need to sow some materialist seed.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that
withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also
himself.
2. You always reap more than you sow.
a. Farming would never work if you sowed a kernel of corn and
got back a kernel of corn.
b. God has established a cosmic rule that if you sow a couple of
kernels of corn a stalk with come up, not with few kernels
but with multiple ears on the stalk, each filled with kernel
of corn.
c. So it is with giving to God.
(1) God blesses those who give to His work.
(2) God has seldom given me large cash payments.
(3) But God has given me good jobs, making decent wages that
have provided for me and my family.
d. Now, God may give you more or God may give you different.
(1) Making money is not my career. Ministering is.
(2) God may give you more than I have and I hope He does.
(3) Or God may pay interest to you in other ways.
(4) One doesn’t have to have money to be wealthy.
(5) Regardless, God will give you far more than you give to
Him.
3. You reap later than you sow.
a. Farmers know that there is a planting season, a tending season,
and then, months later, a harvesting season.
b. That time of delay is common with God, not just in returning
a harvest to the farmer but in all areas of spiritual
blessings.
(1) Sometimes, God delays giving His material blessings.
(a) I don’t know for sure why.
(b) I think a lot of it is to test our faith and to
teach us patience.
(2) But God is like that with most of His blessings.
(a) Abraham had to wait years before Isaac was born.
(b) David waited years before he ascended to the throne.
(c) The Jews have waited thousands of years for their
King and kingdom to come.
c. The truth is that sometimes God wait until you get to heaven to
give you what He has promised!
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the
promise:
(1) This is where we definitely part company with the name-it
and claim-it crowd.
(2) The issue for the believer should not be so much WHEN God
will return your investment and interest, but that He
has promised He WILL.
d. Here is what you and I need to understand when it comes to
giving to missions.
(1) The reward you seek isn’t money being returned to you.
(2) Maybe that is what you seek for your tithes, I don’t
know.
(3) But for faith promise giving to missions, what you seek
is the salvation of souls!
(a) What you want is to start a reversed, soul-winning
pyramid.
(b) In the financial world, pyramid schemes as they are
called, are illegal.
(c) But in the spiritual world, you and I want to start
a reversed, soul pyramid.
(d) That is a pyramid with you at the top, giving your
faith promise.
(e) Then below you, a missionary takes your dollars and
wins a few souls to your account.
(f) Then those converts go win a few more, making that
level of the pyramid the biggest so far.
(g) Then each member of that group wins a few more,
making that level the biggest level so far.
(i) And on it goes until Jesus comes.
(4) What you and I are looking for is not immediate financial
pay back.
(a) We want to get to heaven and see the hundreds of
souls that our faith promise has helped to win to
Christ.
(b) It takes more than a money ledger to keep up with
the rewards of this account.
(c) It takes a set of eternal books to keep up with it.
II. Notice God’s Promise of Giving.
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto
them who are of the household of faith.
A. God has promised that He will give back whatever you sow.
1. This context is not so much about money as it is about life in
general, but it still applies to money.
2. \\#Gal 6:7\\ In life, you mock God if you don’t believe He
will repay what you sow.
a. Live like the devil if you want, but if you live that kind
of lifestyle, you will reap that kind of reward.
b. By the same token, if you life a righteous life, walking
humbly before God, you can expect God to reward you accordingly.
3. This works with sowing material blessings as well.
B. I read in a sermon where the preacher was making application
of these verses to giving. He made three good statements.
1. Don’t think you know a better way to get the blessings of
God on your life.
a. You don’t!
b. There isn’t one.
c. Live right and sow some spiritual seed.
2. Don’t ignore God’s principals.
a Live right and prosper.
b. Try any other lifestyle and you will have regrets.
3. Don’t neglect to make the necessary adjustments to YOUR life that
you need to make to get God’s blessings.
a. God’s not going to adjust His laws for you!
b. You need to bring your life about to obey the Word of God so
that you can enjoy God’s best blessings.
c. Why wouldn’t you want to?
d. Why fight God when you know how it is going to end?
III. \\#2Cor 9:7\\ Notice God’s Prerequisite of Giving.
2Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
A. All of this month, I will be encouraging you to pray about giving to
faith promise.
1. Some of our missionaries have send videos which we will be seeing
this month. This videos show the work that those who have been
giving have a part in.
2. We have passed out our faith promise card for you to pray over.
3. Praises
B. However, as hard as we are working to try to encourage you to seek
the Lord on this most important matter, God would rather have you
keep your money than to give it with a grudging attitude.
1. You say, "How do you know that?"
2. Because He says so!
3. God is not just looking for money.
a. He can get money.
b. He is looking for people who want to participate in the plan
of causing the Son to shine on the whole world.
C. If you can’t get excited about seeing souls snatched from hell,
lives being made whole,
families being restored,
hope and purpose of life being given,
then, please, keep your money.
D. Don’t give and then wish you had it back.
E. Don’t commit and then which you had not.
Last year as we prepared to leave for the field we watched God provide exactly
what we needed. In January, 2010, the Lord had put a date on my heart, the date
of March 22, for our commissioning service. My deputation director had already
reminded me that Baptist World requires that missionaries be 100 percent
supported before departing. We agree with that policy and we’re expecting the
Lord to provide that amount for our departure although much was lacking. The
long story short, God provided the remaining amount (to the dollar) the week
before we departed. That was without us contacting any churches to ask them to
support us.
Missionaries Benjamin and Katie Shore
If you can get excited about being an answer to prayer, seeing souls saved, and
pleasing God, you should give. If not, you should keep your money.
If you really believe everyone needs Jesus, you will want to give.
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