Do You Know His Grace? 2 Corinthians 8:9

With Google at our fingertips it is easy today to talk about what we think we know when in actuality we don’t truly know at all. There’s an endless list of topics and an overabundance of information that is available to all of us via the internet. We can listen to a podcast or read an article and have a surface level understanding of whichever subject we choose; health and fitness, auto mechanics, finance, politics, theology, law, the design and function of our cardiovascular system, farming and ranching, or the difference between a Cover 2 verses a man-to-man defense in football. The list is literally endless. We can spend time listening, reading, and studying any or all of these topics and convince ourselves that we know what we are talking about, but do we really?  I believe there is a huge difference between being able to talk about something and actually knowing it. Let me give you an example. This past week I was walking and listening to a podcast where a doctor named Peter Attia was talking about autophagy. I had never even heard the word much less understand how our bodies benefit from autophagy. I was so fascinated by what I was hearing that I decided to Google the subject and learn more. Let me share with you what I heard. It is a quote from Dr. Attia’s book, “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.” 

Autophagy represents the catabolic side of metabolism when the cells stops producing new proteins and instead begins to break down old proteins and old cellular structures into their amino acid components using the scavenged materials to build new ones. It is a form of cellular recycling cleaning out the accumulated junk in the cell and repurposing it or disposing of it. Instead of going to Home Depot to buy more lumber and drywall screws, the cellular contractor scavenges through the debris from the house he just tore down for spare material that he can reuse, either to build and repair the cell or burn to produce energy. Autophagy is essential to life. If it shuts down completely the organism dies. Imagine if you stopped taking out the garbage or recycling, your house would soon become uninhabitable. Except instead of trash bags this cellular clean-up is carried out by specialized organelles called lysosomes which package up the old proteins with other detritus including pathogens and grind them down via enzymes for reuse. IN addition the lysosomes also break up and destroy things called aggregates which are clumps of damaged proteins that accumulate over time. Protein aggregates have been implicated in diseases such as Parkinsons,  Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative disorders, so getting rid of them is a good thing. By cleansing our cells of damaged proteins and other cellular junk, autophagy allows cells to run more cleanly and efficiently and helps make them more resistant to stress.  (Attia, Peter. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.)

It is such a remarkable process in which our body repairs itself. The more I learned about autophagy, the more my mind drifted to something David wrote in Psalm 139:14.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14 NIV)

Now, the truth of the matter is that I don’t know the first thing about autophagy. Beyond what I shared with you, I can’t answer a single question. For a better understanding you’ll need to consult someone like Dr. Yoshinori Ohsum, who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his work on how cells recycle and repair themselves. I’ve gleaned a little from what someone else knows about autophagy, but I don’t know it. Now, I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Why is he telling us about autophagy? I came to hear about the Bible this morning.” Well, I would venture to say that the same thing I have experienced this past week is what many people sitting in the pew experience week after week after week. The focus of our study this morning is “Do you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ?” Let’s read our Scripture and then we'll talk. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 8:9-15 and let’s read together. 

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little." (2 Corinthians 8:9-15 NIV)

Let me set the scene for you before we begin taking a look at verse 9, the only verse we will be able to cover this morning. The brothers and sisters in Christ, in Jerusalem, were struggling. They were being persecuted and there had been a famine which brought about hardships for all of God’s people living in the area. Earlier, in 47 A.D., the church in Antioch had taken up an offering which Paul delivered to the church in Jerusalem. The church in Corinth had heard about the hardships being faced by the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem and they told Paul they wanted to help. Their help never materialized so Paul, when the time was right, brought up the subject once again by reminding them, in 2 Corinthians 8:20.

10 …Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. (2 Corinthians 8:10 NIV)

At the beginning of 2 Corinthians 8, Paul shared with the church in Corinth what the brothers and sisters in Macedonia had done in regards to the offering for the church in Jerusalem. Look at verses 2-4 with me.

2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. (2 Corinthians 8:2-4 NIV)

The church in Macedonia was in a difficult situation, like the church in Jerusalem, but that wouldn’t stop them from helping. The church in Corinth was far from poor and yet they were dragging their feet. Paul hoped that using the illustration of the generosity of the people in Macedonia might stir up the Corinthians. We all love a great story don’t we? Stories inspire us, challenge us, move us to get up and go after it. It might be a story like Steve Jobs who was adopted by his parents, built his first computer with his friend Steve Wozniak, started Apple computers when he was 21 years old, and changed the world with the iPhone. It could be the story of William Borden, the heir to the fame and fortune of the Borden family business who turned down the opportunity to work in the family business so he could become a missionary to China. Or, I think about the kids we work with on the tennis court and the story of Frances Tiafoe whose mom and dad immigrated from Sierra Leone. Frances’ dad had worked in the diamond mines in Sierra Leone, but when he arrived in America he was hired as a maintenance man at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland. Frances Sr. would take his sons with him to work and to occupy their time they would hit tennis balls. Today, Frances is ranked 10 in the world and he’s getting ready to make a run for the Wimbledon Championship. We love a great story don’t we?! The story of the generosity of the Macedonians was a great story, an inspiring story to the people of Corinth, but there’s an even better story that Paul wanted to share. Let’s read 2 Corinthians 8:9 once again.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV)

Paul turns from a good story to the greatest story ever told. Paul says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…” But there is no doubt in my mind that Paul is really wondering just how well they know of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? Like the subject of autophagy or any other subject for that matter, we can Google “grace” and learn quite a bit, enough to describe it to others, but that doesn’t mean that we know about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Greek word translated “grace” in this verse is the word “?????” (charis) and it appears 147 times in the New Testament. Ray Stedman writes,

This word belongs to a very large family. It has a brother named Charity and a sister named Mercy, and a whole houseful of cousins, such as Kindness, and Favor, and Goodwill, and Pity, Thanksgiving, and Reward. All of these are translations of the word grace as it is used in our Scriptures. But the basic meaning of this little word is beauty, charm, loveliness. We see this in the English word "graceful," by which we mean beauty of line or movement, and from this basic meaning, beauty, the word came early to mean also "acts of beauty." Kindness and mercy, for instance, are the most beautiful acts possible to human beings. Now Paul seizes this word and, writing to his friends at Corinth, he says, ‘You are familiar with the beauty of Jesus Christ. You know that the compelling beauty that drew you to him is nothing else than his self-giving love.’ (Ray Stedman, That You May Be Rich. June 7, 1964)

I love how Pastor Stedman has described this beautiful word for you and me. There are several times in the New Testament where the same Greek word is translated, “gift,” and that is a perfect description of His grace towards you and me. Let me show you a couple of examples. The first example I want to show you is from Romans 5:15-16. I need to give you some background to the verses because some of you may have never heard of “imputed sin.” The phrase basically means that because of Adam’s sin every person who has been born since, except for Jesus, was born a sinner. We could spend weeks unpacking this, but my point in sharing this with you is to help you better understand the verses I want to share in Romans 5. Let’s read them together.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. (Romans 5:15-16 NIV)

The gift of God’s grace in Jesus brought about reconciliation and justification for those who will trust in His work for us. In Romans 6:23, Paul wrote,

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)

I have known many people who have shared with me how they think it is unfair that Adam’s sin has been passed down to us, imputed to us.  Some have said they simply don’t believe it. My next question is always, “Have you ever sinned?” Not one, in all of the years I’ve been sharing God’s Word with people, not one has said, “No, not ever.” We all know that we are sinners, that we have done things which were harmful to ourselves and to others. I’ve known people who didn’t believe in God at all that admitted they have sinned, they’ve not always done what was right, and they found it hard to forgive themselves. God’s Word teaches that we are forgiven, we are reconciled to God, we are justified, made right when we’ve been wrong, and saved by the gift of God in Jesus. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

You see, our natural way of thinking is that when we mess up we need to make up for it by doing something good to cover the wrong we’ve done, but God’s Word says that our forgiveness, our salvation is a free gift from God found in Jesus. A free gift? That’s almost incomprehensible isn’t it? C.E.B Cranfield wrote,

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ denotes the utterly undeserved, royally free, effective, unwearying, inexhaustible goodwill of God, active in and through Jesus Christ, God’s effective, overflowing mercy. (C.E.B. Cranfield, “The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” pg. 106)

Let’s get back to 2 Corinthians 8:9 and see what else we can learn about this wonderful gift, this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “...that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor…” We need to talk about the richness of Jesus because immediately our minds gravitate to worldly riches when this is not even remotely close to what Paul was thinking when he wrote these words. The Bible clearly states, in Colossians 1:16-17, that all things were made by Him and are sustained by Him. Read those verses with me.

16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17 NIV)

The riches of Jesus which Paul has in mind has to do with Jesus' supernatural, eternal glory, His position as the Second Person of the Godhead, and His eternal attributes. The great Bible teacher, Charles Hodge, who was the head of the Princeton Theological Seminary from 1851-1878, wrote,

All divine names and titles are applied to Him. He is called God, the mighty God, the great God, God over all; Jehovah; Lord; the Lord of lords and the King of kings. All divine attributes are ascribed to Him. He is declared to be omnipresent, omniscient, almighty, and immutable, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. He is set forth as the creator and upholder and ruler of the universe. All things were created by Him and for Him; and by Him all things consist. He is the object of worship to all intelligent creatures, even the highest; all the angels are commanded to prostrate themselves before Him. He is the object of all the religious sentiments; of reverence, love, faith, and devotion…He declares that He and the Father are on; that those who had seen Him had seen the Father also. He calls all men unto Him; promises to forgive their sins; to send them the Holy Spirit; to give them rest and peace; to raise them up at the last day; and to give them eternal life…He has, therefore, been the Christian’s God from the beginning, in all ages and in all places. (Hodge, Charles, Systematic Theology, [Reprint; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 2:382)

Jesus was God incarnate, the richness of heaven came to earth, the infallible One took on humanity in all of our weakness. Paul tells us, “...yet for your sake He became poor.” Throughout the years some have interpreted this to mean that Jesus became poor financially. There’s no doubt that Jesus didn’t live an extravagant lifestyle. In Luke 9:58, Jesus said,

58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Luke 9:58 NIV)

Jesus never knew the American way of life, but this is not what Paul was thinking when he wrote, “...yet for your sakes He became poor.” What was Paul thinking? Well, I think we can find the best answer by looking to Scripture. Turn with me to Philippians 2:5-11. Let’s read these verses together.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV)

Jesus made Himself nothing. Bible teachers have referred to this act as the “kenosis,” taken from the Greek word that is used in verse 7. Jesus emptied Himself, he laid aside the glories of heaven and came to earth as a human being. Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death–even death on a cross!” And He did this for us…For your sake He became poor. Charles Spurgeon wrote,

‘For your sakes became poor.’ Not a thorn in that crown for Himself, but for your sakes. No spittle on those cheeks, no hair plucked from them, for Himself—but all for you! For you, the cruel lash, as it pitilessly furrowed those holy shoulders! For you, those drops of crimson sweat as they stained the cold earth! For you, each of those cruel nails. For you, for you, the spear that pierced His side! Oh! Let each Christian here really seek to lay a claim to have a personal interest in the griefs and groans of Jesus. Sweet possessions! Oh! to treasure them! Richer than all jewels! Those drops of blood—more priceless far than rubies, and those falling tears more sparkling than diamonds! Treasure up the love of Jesus! Put it into your souls. Make a heart in your heart in which to treasure it. Count it to be the richest and most precious thing you can have or can desire to have—the love of Jesus with all its sweetness and everlasting delight! ‘For your sakes he became poor.’ (Spurgeon, Charles. Our Lord’s Voluntary Poverty. November 13, 1913)

There’s a reason they called him the “Prince of the Pulpit!” Pastor Spurgeon has beautifully described what Jesus did, but why would He suffer such humiliation? Why would the God of glory who willingly became one of us, not call 10,000 angels to His defense when they drew back the whip, when they pulled back the hammer to drive the nails into His hands? Why? Paul answers the question for us when he tells us, “...so that you through His poverty might become rich.” The riches that Jesus offers to you and me, anyone who will receive Him as Lord and Savior of their life, are not the riches this world offers, but the world’s riches will never satisfy. Jesus said that you can gain the whole world and lose your own soul in Matthew 16:26. The Bible says Solomon was the richest man who ever lived and yet, after searching every avenue to try and find meaning and satisfaction in life, he wrote, 

9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 NIV)

For those who know they are hopeless apart from the grace of our Lord, there is new life to be found in Jesus. New life that is filled with hope and not dependent on the circumstances of this life. For those who know they are sinners and that all of the good works they could ever do wouldn’t be sufficient to make things right with God, there is forgiveness, true forgiveness, that is found in Jesus.  For those who are restless, riddled with anxiety trying to find something, anything that will satisfy for longer than a moment, there is a peace that transcends all understanding that is found in Jesus. Peter described the riches of Jesus in 1 Peter 1:4 as “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away…” It is time for us to end, but before we do I have to ask you, “Do you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ?” I’m not asking you to describe it for me. I’m not looking for a definition. Have you experienced the wonders of His grace that has made you His son or daughter? Do you know that He has cast your sins into the sea of forgetfulness because of His great love for you? Have you said, “Yes Lord! I believe and I want to follow you with all of my life for the rest of my life!” If not, then I want to invite you to do that at this time. Mike HaysJuly 2, 2023