I have two questions that we're going to wrestle with this morning, and I'm going to just give them to you from the beginning. First question is, how do you get rich? Second question is, how do you act rich, how do you get rich and how do you act rich? Now, there's probably two extremes when you hear those questions in this room this morning. First extreme would be some of you are more excited about this sermon than ever before, right? There's another group in here, and you're not excited. You're ready to run out of here and scream heretic. Probably because you're thinking there's going to be some kind of false gospel preached. All right? That's not what we're going to do. So for both of you in those extremes and everybody else, just hang on, because we're going to see from God's word how to get rich and how to act rich. Because what the world will tell you when it comes to getting rich is to accumulate wealth and increase your net worth and prioritize you and buy the things that that make you happy and build strong credit and save aggressively and invest in a Roth IRA so you pay taxes now and not later and wait to give when you have more money. Work hard now so you can be happy later. That's what the world is going to tell you when it comes to how do you get rich and how do you act rich? But what does God say? In God's economy, the way to riches is quite the paradox. That paradox is like this statement that's to attract attention because it seems contradictory, but it's actually true. And there's no place in life that has more paradoxes than in the life of a Christian. You want to live to live as Christ and to die is gain. You want to save your life, deny yourself, take up your cross and lose your life for Christ's sake. You want to be strong, boast in your weaknesses. You want to be first, be willing to be last. You want to be great, be a servant and a humble and humble yourself like a little child. Like, that's the life of a Christian. That's the narrow way, right? Not the wide path. And the paradox of the Christian life that we're going to talk about this morning is being rich. How does God say we become rich, and how does God say we should act rich? The answer is contradictory, but from God's word, the answer is true. So if you got a Bible, turn with me to Second Corinthians, chapter eight. We're going to continue in our series and if you're just kind of jumping in and you're brand new to Veritas. We've been marching through Second Corinthians for a while, and the first seven chapters of Second Corinthians are the Apostle Paul defending his ministry to the Corinthians. So he's a guy who planted a church there, but he is not like the rest of the leaders in their culture. He says really hard things. Sometimes he causes godly grief. We talked about that a few weeks ago. He causes godly grief to lead to their repentance and lead to their joy. But he says hard things, and the Corinthians don't often like it. In fact, when he says hard things, they're like, wait a second, you say all this hard stuff, but when we see you in person, you don't look like a leader, you don't speak like a leader. And so they have all these questions about who he is and what his ministry is about. So he spends the first seven chapters really defending that. Then we get to chapter eight, and like Danny said, chapters eight and nine all revolve around money and giving. Okay? And so what was introduced last week in chapter eight was this collection for the saints in Jerusalem. So Paul is telling the Corinthians, hey, there's a group of brothers and sisters in Christ that live in Jerusalem, and they're going through intense affliction, persecution, there's poverty, and they can't even have their basic needs met. So we're starting a collection to give to those saints and the Macedonian churches, they already have participated in it. And, and they have given extravagantly and joyfully. And it said they were eager to participate in this collection. So we get the Macedonians example last week, and so what we're picking up with this morning, I'm going to start with verse seven. It's not going to be on the screen, but going back to last week, it says, but as you excel in everything, so the Macedonians have operated this way. But as you excel in everything, in your faith and speech and knowledge, in all earnestness and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also. What was the act of grace? To participate in giving to this collection of the saints. So Paul is saying, the Macedonians have done it. I want you to participate in this as well. So this is where we pick it up. So starting with verse nine, I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. So Paul starts out by saying, Listen, I'm going to clarify my intent. And remember, there's tension between him and the Corinthians. So he's like, look, I'm saying something hard again, but listen to me. Let me tell you why I'm telling you this. I'm telling you this not as a command. As one of your pastors, I'm not mandating that you participate in this collection because this collection was above and beyond giving. It was sacrificial giving. The Macedonians were still giving to their local church, but something else had arisen outside of their local church that they were to give to. And he's saying Corinthians, listen, I'm not commanding that you have to participate in this, but he says the motivation has to be deeper than me just commanding you to give. Don't give because of a command, but instead, remember this example that I've already given to you, but to prove by the earnestness of others. Now, the earnestness of others was talking about the Macedonians giving. They were earnest and eager to give to this collection. He goes, look at the Macedonians. Look at their generosity. They're excelling at this. And their generosity had enthusiasm and went above beyond their means and had an abundance of joy. And he's saying, listen, and Corinthian church, let their example spur you on because they are stellar examples of extravagant giving. And he is utilizing true real life stories to stimulate their giving. But again, he's saying, I'm not commanding that you do this. And he's not trying to create this motivation of like, us versus them. Like, if I just stand up here, I mean, Jake talked about Veritas. I was city giving last week. I could go through the salt network and say, here's all these churches that are giving this and giving that. But it's not about creating an us versus them mentality. Look what we gave. Look what they gave. It's not what we're going for. But what did their earnestness of giving do? It prove their love also was genuine. He's given the Corinthians an example to follow to reveal a deeper motivation. Give not because of a command, but to prove that your love is genuine. The Macedonians loved God and they loved other believers. And it is clear by their commitment to give. So he's saying, corinthians, I want you to prove the sincerity and authenticity of your love for God and other people by giving your money. Because an unwillingness to give is evidence of a lack of love. An unwillingness to give is evidence of a lack of Love for others and a lack of love for God. When Erica and I first started dating, we started dating, and then two weeks later, she went on a mission trip for the whole summer to China. While she was there, I bought my first house, and my mom and dad came in to help me do a ton of work to this house. And so we're doing this work on the house, and we're just working, like, long hours to kind of rehab this house. Well, meantime, my girlfriend is in China, and it wasn't as easy. Here's my excuse, all right? It wasn't very easy to stay in contact. Like, there was no texting back then to your girlfriend in China. You couldn't even just call. You had to use a phone card. Some of you are like, what's a phone card? Right. Looking this direction up here. So I wasn't a great boyfriend at the time. And so. But I knew she was coming home, and I wanted to meet her at the airport with some flowers. So my dad and I were working on the house. I said, mom, can you run? I need you to go find at all costs some ranunculus. Now, prior to us dating, I've never heard of a ranuncula. I didn't know what a ranuncula was, but I knew a ranuncula was really important, and it was my girlfriend's favorite flower. So I said, mom, I'm willing to do whatever for you to get some ranunculus. Because I now maybe it was to prove how terrible I was earlier, and I wanted to make up for it. I don't know. But I think it was to say, this is really important to you, and you're really important to me. So I want to have this for you. I want to show you how much I love you by giving you something. This is the idea that Paul is saying, here, look, there is a tight connection between your love and your money. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, is what Jesus said, right? There is a tight connection here. So Paul's saying, listen, if you want to show God that you love him and you want to demonstrate and prove that you love other people, give. So he gives them this example of the Macedonians doing this. But he says, I don't want you to just look at the Macedonians because you have a much greater example to follow than just the Macedonians. So verse nine is one. Like, this is. This is an incredible verse. Guys. Don't miss this. He says, 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 by his poverty might become rich. Yeah, you guys are more awake than the 8 o'clock. That's like softball for you to Amen right there. Like, this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel of grace. Our motivation to give can't be a command. And it's got to be more than just love. Intimate knowledge of God's grace was greater motivation than another church's loving example. The ultimate motivation for you to give to those in need is what? The Gospel of grace. The good news of Jesus Christ. For, you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And what, what's this gospel? Christ was rich, then he became poor so you could become rich. Do you hear that? Christ was rich, then he became poor so you could become rich. Now let's unpack that because there are churches across this country and world that will preach this to a false gospel. And this is like the prosperity gospel super verse. Look, Jesus did this so you could get rich. So let's understand what's actually going on here. First off, it says the Lord Jesus Christ, he was rich. Christ was rich because we believe that Jesus is one person of the Trinity. We believe that Jesus was truly a man and he was truly God. And because of that, Jesus had immeasurable riches prior to coming to earth as a man. Immeasurable riches. Now what type of riches are we talking about? I'm going to give you like fast like bullet points here from several verses that are going to be on screen, but I'm going to read them fast because I want you to grasp what we're talking about when it comes to Jesus riches. Psalm 50:10 says, for every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. Genesis 14. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abraham by God most High, who is God most High, possessor of heaven and earth, who has first given to me job 41, that I should repay him. Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. Psalm 24. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. So what kind of riches did Christ have? Every beast is Christ. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He is the possessor of heaven and earth. Whatever is under the whole earth is his. The earth is his. The fullness of the earth is his. The world is his. Those who dwell in the earth are his. He owns it all. He is self existent and has no deficiencies. He needs nothing. He is not served by human hands, and he is the one that gives mankind life and breath and everything. Jesus Christ's riches weren't material riches. You hear me? Jesus Christ's riches weren't material riches. Jesus Christ was rich because he had all power and all authority and all sovereignty and all honor and all majesty and all glory. Because Jesus was God. There is no one like Him. No one like Him. Don't miss this guy. This is the Jesus that we're talking about. All power, all authority. So incredibly rich that nobody can compare. But what does it say? Yet he became poor. He was born as a baby. A baby dependent on a mom and a dad. The one that had all authority and all glory is born as a man. But it's not just that he became a man. He becomes even more poor. Philippians, chapter two. Paul says this to the Philippian Church. Have this mind among yourselves. We just sang about this. That one song which is yours, in Christ Jesus. So who is Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count. Equality with God, a thing to be grasped. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant. Being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obese to the point of death. Even death on a cross. The one with all riches and all glory became like a man who emptied himself of the privileges of being God, who took on the form of a servant, who was born in the likeness of men, who was found in human form, and who humbled himself to the point of death. This is Jesus. There is no one like him. The one with all glory lays down his life, becomes poor. Now why in the world would he become poor with all those riches? It says for your sake. So that you, by his poverty, might become rich. Christ in all his riches, became poor so that you might become rich. Guys, that's the gospel. And that's grace. That is grace. Unmerited favor. You didn't deserve the riches of Christ. I didn't deserve the riches of Christ. Yet he did it for our sake. So according to this text, according to the word of God, how do you become rich? You get rich by the grace of Jesus is right there in the text. Literally, he became poor so that you might buy. So that you, by his poverty, might what? Become rich. How do you become rich? By the grace of Jesus Christ. By the grace of Jesus Christ. Now what kind of riches are we talking about again? We're not talking about material riches. We're talking about spiritual and eternal riches. Christ's riches of salvation and forgiveness and peace and joy, honor and glory, riches of a promise, incorruptible inheritance that won't fade because you are co heirs with Christ by grace and by grace alone. Guys, in God's economy, riches have nothing to do with accumulating wealth, finding a better paying job and saving more effectively. If you want to be spiritually and eternally rich with possessions that are far greater than anything this world could offer you, receive the grace of Jesus. Paul described it this way in his letter to the Ephesian Church. He said in Ephesians chapter 2 but God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show you the immeasurable what riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. God's Christ was rich but became poor so that we might become rich in mercy, life, salvation and future inheritance that is immeasurable. Don't miss the grace of God this morning. Don't miss the grace of God. So the grace of Jesus Christ is how you become rich. But the rest of this text this morning is going to show us how to act rich. So let's look at verses 10 and 11. And in this matter I give my judgment, this benefits you who a year ago started not only to do this work but but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. So this is what he's saying. Corinthians. I came to you about a year ago and I told you about this collection that was happening. And when you heard about this collection, you know what you did? You said, man, we want to give. We desire to be a part of this. We want to participate in this. But for some reason they hadn't done it. So what does Paul tell them to do? Verse 11. So now finish doing it as well. You had a desire to give, now finish doing it. Actually give. Finish what you started. Don't just say you're going to give, but actually give. You've experienced the grace of God that has made you rich. Now act like it by giving. Get rich by the grace of Jesus. Act rich by giving to his people. That's what I want you to know this morning. Get rich by the grace of Jesus and act rich by giving to his people. Because you have spiritual riches because of grace. And what you have to recognize is that participating in this act of grace, of giving, is also a spiritual issue. It's not just about what you give, but Paul connects your giving to your desires you desire to do. That is what the end of verse 10 says. You also to desire to do it. So you desire to do this. So Paul's saying it's not about just the amount you give, but your giving is a spiritual issue. It has to do with your heart. So Paul is telling the Corinthians, hey, guys, you got to finish what you desired, because if you don't, it's revealing a deeper spiritual problem. You say you want to do something, but you don't do it. The book of James is all about this, right? Hey, let's talk about what authentic faith is. And what is authentic faith? Not just being a hearer of the Word, but. But being a doer of the Word. Don't just say, oh, I love the Word of God, but I'm not going to do anything about it. This is the connection that Paul is making here. Like, you have a desire. Now make sure you connect your desire to your action. Stop messing around and follow through with your commitment to give, because it's going to reveal whether you're truly rich or not. So how do you act rich? You act rich by giving completely. Giving completely. People who've experienced the grace of Jesus follow through with their giving commitments. And aren't you glad you have a Savior that followed through with his giving commitment? Jesus takes all these riches and he gives up the riches so he could become a man. But what if he goes, you know what? I'm just going to stop short of the cross. Like, that's not what your Savior did. Don't say you're going to give something and not do it. Because this type of behavior reveals a spiritual problem, not a money problem. So how in the world were the Corinthians supposed to actually do this? Look at verse 12. Paul says, for if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. He's going, listen, if the readiness is there, if you are so eager to do this, complete the task. And how are you to complete this task according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. Now remember, we're talking about above and beyond sacrificial giving. There was giving to the Corinthian local church, but now there's something else. There's another need. And he says, give according to what you have. You don't have to find new resources. Just give what you have. Now, some of you are really smart Bible students and you're like, wait a second. I thought back at the beginning of this chapter, he said, they gave above the Macedonians gave above their means. Right? I don't think Paul is contradicting himself. I don't think he's lowering the bar here. What Paul is simply saying is, I want you to participate in this collection now with what you have. It is acceptable to give what you have. Don't wait for more resources to come in before you give. Because the principle is, act rich by giving proportionally. Don't just give completely so your desires are matched together. But now give proportionally. Give in proportion to what you have. Now, this is when it's helpful to understand the Corinthian context. So in Corinth, public status was gained by generous donations. If you gave publicly, you wanted everybody to know it, right? You Give on the GoFundMe page. You don't say, check anonymous. Right, the anonymous box. You just want everybody to know what you gave. Okay? This was the Corinthian culture. The more you gave in public, the more significant you were in society. If you gave less, people thought less of you. But, guys, giving isn't about your status. Remember our example, the one who had the greatest most significant status ever gave that status up for the sake of us. Because when you give, don't worry about what others think of you. That's how spiritually poor people operate. They forget that their status has been secured by grace. So they look to find status on earth. It's like really practical example, oh, I want to give to this need. These people don't have food or water or clothing. And I've got $10, but I'm not going to give $10 because I want to wait until I can give $100. Paul said, no, just give according to what you have. Just give it. Don't wait. Because that's. If you're worried about what other people think, that's prideful. That's prideful. Remember the widow's mite? Jake referenced it last week in Mark, chapter 12. Jesus is watching all these people give their offerings, and all these rich people come in and they give this large sums of money. And then she gives basically what amounts to about a penny. And he calls his disciples together and he goes, hey, look, you want to know who gave the most? She gave everything she had. She gave in proportion to what she had. She gave it all. She's the wealthiest in the room. And this is where I think the idea of a tithe can be helpful when it comes to proportional giving. That percentage giving is proportional giving, because the amount isn't what God's after. He's after your heart in proportion to what you have. Because if I said, some of you are doing your taxes right now, some of you are putting those off for a while, but you're doing your taxes and you go, man, we had a great giving year. We gave $10,000. Now, some of you in this room are like, that's amazing. Others of you in the room, that's pathetic. Because you're not giving in proportion to what you have. You have a lot more than that. But what Paul is saying here is give in proportion to what you have. But there's a warning here that proportional giving isn't unprioritized giving. Proportional giving isn't unprioritized giving. Don't give based on your proportional leftovers after you upgraded your lifestyle. First, guys, both the rich and the poor can give acceptable gifts to God, and both the rich and the poor can give unacceptable gifts to God. We saw that in Malachi last week, right? What were the Israelites giving to the temple? All the blind and the lame animals. And Jesus going, what? What do you do? Or Malachi's going, what are you doing? You're just giving your leftovers to God. He's more important than that. Well, what Paul's doing here is taking away our excuses like, I can't give what I want now, so I'm just not going to give anything until I can give what I want later. So act rich by first, giving completely, second giving proportionally, and third, act rich by giving selflessly. Look at verses 13 and 14. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness, your abundance at the present time should supply their need so that their abundance may supply your need that there may be fairness. So what Paul is saying here is, listen, I would love for you to participate in this collection for the Jerusalem Saints, but I want you to know that I'm not trying to just ease their burden by burdening you. They need help right now, and you can help them. And there may come a day when you need help and they can help you. So there's three really important words that we need to understand in these two verses. One is need, two is abundance, and three is fairness. All right? What does Paul mean by need? They had a need. Need isn't being without the luxuries of life. Need is about lacking basic necessities in life. You don't have food, you don't have clothing. This is what was going on with the Jerusalem Saints. They didn't have their basic needs. They couldn't do that. That's what need is. Now, what is abundance? Abundance in the Greek means an oversupply or a surplus. But a surplus isn't leftovers after you've spent lavishly on yourself, but a surplus is resources that you have left after your basic needs are met. You've got an abundance. Corinthians, they have a real need. And he goes, and this is all a matter of fairness. Now, in the Corinthian culture, giving all revolved around relationships and social status. There were superiors in their culture and they were inferiors in their culture. The superiors provided protection, they provided services, and they provided benefits. The inferiors were obligated to honor those people, serve those people and show gratitude. But if you failed to do those things to your superior, you were considered not a good person. And ultimately, what's going on here is this inequality, this lack of fairness between superiors and inferiors. And what Paul is saying here, this. You want me to tell you about biblical equality, about biblical fairness? Let me tell you how the people of God are to treat each other. You share your resources not based on social obligation, but you share your resources based on brotherhood. And because you're all part of the family of God, and the only way that you got into the family of God was by the grace of God, it is fair to share your abundance when other brothers and sisters are in need so that they will share when you're in need. And the point that Paul is trying to make here is there's this mutual give and take. Not rob Peter to pay Paul, not Corinthians. I want you to really work hard so the Jerusalem saints can play hard. Not talking about some kind of, like, Christian socialism here, right, where we redistribute wealth so that everybody has the same amount. Because Paul is not arguing for equality in amount, he's arguing for equality in response. It's not about easing and burdening. It's about responding to the needs before you. So how does fairness and equality work with this collection? Your surplus can meet their shortfall now and their shortfall. Their surplus can meet your shortfall later if it's needed. Paul wasn't trying to just develop some new, like, financial strategy for the Corinthian culture. Where is he getting this from? He's actually getting it from the Old Testament. He says in verse 15, as it is written. And that's Paul's way of saying, hey, this actually comes up in other parts of the Bible. As it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Now where is he taking that quote from? He's taking it from Exodus chapter 16. I think Exodus 16 will come up. There we go. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. Now, what is the context of Exodus chapter 16? So the Israelites had come out of slavery in Egypt, and they wanted trying to get to the promised land, but they start grumbling and they start complaining, oh, why isn't our food as good as it was in Egypt? God just brought them out of slavery. And here they are complaining and grumbling like, what are you doing? So they're complaining. They're wandering around in the desert. That's the context here. And he's saying, listen, as you're wandering around, I know you're grumbling and complaining that you don't have the food that you used to have in Egypt, but I'm gonna provide for you, and I'm gonna provide for you every day. And I'm gonna. And you're gonna be like, what is it? And then what do they name it? Manna. You know what manna means? What is it? All right? Cause they didn't even know what it was, all right? But he provide. That's literally what it means. But he provided every single day for the Israelites. And he's saying, listen, every morning, this manna is going to be on the ground, and you all need to gather an omer. You all need to gather stuff. Some of you are going to gather a lot more. I don't know why. Maybe you're stronger, maybe you're younger, maybe you're faster at doing it. You gather more. Some people are going to gather a smaller amount. In the end, you're all going to be able to eat your fill. But some people decided, you know what? I'm going to hold a little extra. I'm going to hoard, and I'm going to take my surplus and hoard it. And what happened to the manna? It spoiled. It was rotten. God goes, no, I want you to trust me every single day. Don't hoard your resources. Guys, the whole idea that Paul. The reason Paul brings up Exodus here is because he's saying, I want you to Give not because you've avoided an extravagant lifestyle, but I want you to be able to give because you're not a selfish saver. Act rich by not hoarding your savings. Guys. Danny mentioned it. There is a fine line between wise saving and selfish hoarding. Here's the truth. You earned nothing apart from God's grace. So Paul's saying, be open handed with it. Be open handed with it later on in Matthew 6 saying, Listen, don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Stop storing up for yourself things that are going to ruin spoil. Don't store up now what will be lost later. But guys, this is where this flies into the biblical truth flies against the American culture because the American mindset is what I earned is mine. I get to determine what I do with it. And the American church has forgotten God's grace. You only have that job by God's grace you only had a long term job by God's grace, you only have a savings account by God's grace, you only have a nest egg by God's grace. Guys, your savings and retirement accounts are God's grace to you. And what was the challenge in chapter six for the Corinthians? Don't receive the grace of God in vain. Repent if you can't give to those in need because your surplus is all about you and your future. Guys. Don't live for the here and now and spend like a spiritually poor person with an inability to give. But also don't live for the here and later. Save like a spiritually poor person and refuse to give. Don't live for the here and now. Don't live for the here and later. Live for the there and later. Let God's grace that has made you eternally rich motivate you to respond to the needs of the other saints around you. Guys, we have to embrace the grace of God in order to deny ourselves just like our Savior did. Deny ourselves from self centered living and self centered saving in order to financially help other brothers and sisters in Christ to meet their own basic needs. And again, this is what I want you to know. Get rich by the grace of Jesus. Act rich by giving to his people. Get rich by the grace of Jesus and act rich by giving to his people. And this is the paradox of the Christian life. In God's economy, riches have nothing to do with accumulating money and everything to do with receiving grace and giving money away. You didn't earn it, so don't live and save primarily for yourself. Like, think about this. Who is wealthier in the kingdom of God? The one with salvation or the one dead in their sins and trespasses? Who is wealthier in the kingdom of God? The one who gave or the one who received? The one who desired to give, or the one who actually gave? The one who trusted God or hoarded his possession. Who is wealthier? Some of you in this room are spiritually rich because of the grace of God, but you act poor. You have immeasurable riches in Christ, but your security is tied to your nest egg. You have immeasurable riches in Christ, but your hope and joy are tied to the new shiny object or new experience. You have immeasurable riches in Christ, but you give out of obligation, not freedom. Don't act spiritually poor. Spiritually poor people panic and they hoard and they think about here and now, and they force their giving. But do you know what a spiritually rich person does? They know they're loved and they show their love by giving. They know they've received grace, so they participate in the act of grace, of giving. They know they're forgiven, so they're free from the love of money and self. They know they have an eternal inheritance, so they don't hoard things on this earth. Guys, let's be people who have our personal budgets messed with. When we hear about another brother and sister in legitimate need because we can't help but give. I'm going to give you a little litmus test, a few tests here to help you identify whether you're forgetting the grace of God and acting spiritually poor. If you think about somebody that has the same job and same salary as you, and you experience all the same comforts and luxuries that they do, you may be giving away too little and acting spiritually poor. Poor. If your kids have all the same comforts and luxuries and entertainment as their peers, you may be acting spiritually poor. If your kids aren't annoyed with how you spend your money because it's differently than how the world spends their money, you may be acting spiritually poor. My kids often say, gosh, we're so poor. Why can't we have all these things? And we have to say over and over, guys, we're not poor. We're just using our money differently than the world. If you can't remember the last time you withheld from participating in something you wanted to participate? Are you withheld from getting something you wanted? You may be operating in a spiritually poor spot. So this morning, consider the grace of God. Don't just fly by it. Examine your lifestyle. Examine your savings account to see where the surplus might be. Some of you need to repent from trying to get rich outside of God's grace. Some of you need to repent of trying to act rich outside of giving. And then the most practical way to apply this is is if you hear of a brother, sister in Christ somewhere in this world or somewhere in this city who does not have basic needs. Give. Because Christ gave abundantly to you guys. May God show mercy to us. If we hear of people in the family of God who don't have food, clothing and shelter yet, we refuse to cut a streaming service. We refuse to cancel a vacation. We refuse to sell something we love. We refuse to pay a tax penalty for taking money out of retirement early. May God have mercy on our souls. May we never, as a church, be guilty of receiving the grace of God in vain. Let's be a church. Let's be a people who give extravagantly to our spiritual family. Let's be a church who recognizes how extravagant God's grace to us was and our need. So we give extravagantly to others in their need. That's the kind of church we want to be. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your grace. May we never cease to be amazed by it and may it always be the thing that motivates us to give. We need your spirit's help in doing that, God. We pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.