How to Put the "Giving" in Thanksgiving

What if your generosity didn’t start with a percentage but with a conversation with God? As we close our long walk through First Corinthians, we step into chapter 16 and the often-misunderstood topic of giving. We contrast Old Covenant tithing with New Covenant freedom, tracing how the apostles move us from rule-keeping to Spirit-led generosity—and why that shift brings relief, joy, and purpose.

We open the text where Paul organizes a collection for the saints and show how his instructions emphasize readiness, intentionality, and integrity over emotional pressure. Then we connect this with 2 Corinthians 9 to unpack the farmer’s wisdom: sow sparingly, reap sparingly; sow bountifully, reap bountifully. The promise isn’t a cash windfall but a richer harvest of spiritual and eternal good. Along the way, we tackle common myths—like “give 10 percent to earn blessings”—and replace them with four clear principles: give cheerfully, remember everything is gift, give with purpose and love, and refuse guilt or compulsion. We also get practical about preparing gifts in private, caring for family obligations, and directing support toward people in need, healthy local churches, and faithful missions.

You’ll also hear Paul’s pastoral heart in his travel notes, his commendation of co-workers, and his final charge to watch, stand firm, be brave, be strong, and let all you do be done in love. The thread running through it all is identity: when grace defines who we are, generosity becomes a joyful reflection of our Father’s character. If you’ve ever felt boxed in by formulas or shamed by fundraising tactics, this conversation invites you back to the quiet place to ask, “Father, what would you have me do?”

If this helped you breathe easier and think deeper about giving, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a short review. Your feedback helps more people discover freedom, joy, and purpose in Jesus.

Transcript

Finishing First Corinthians

SPEAKER_00 0:53

First Corinthians. Thanks, Knox. Appreciate that. First Corinthians chapter 16. We're gonna we're gonna get through this whole book, this whole chapter, the and we're gonna finish the book today. So look, 31 weeks it took us to get through the book of First Corinthians. So give yourself a hand, a pat on the back. You guys did great studying the word. It's building up, you know, a knowledge of God's word and his will in your life. So I'm really proud of you guys. It's so vital that as a church we continue to study the word verse by verse so that we can know it and be able to live according to it. So today's sermon is called Who Put the Giving in Thanksgiving? Welcome to our sermon. Two men crashed a plane on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And they both survived the crash. And just after this terrible ordeal, one of the men walks over the entire island and comes to the conclusion that there's no food, no water, they're gonna die. And he goes back to where his friend is to explain their predicament. He says, I've searched this entire island and haven't found any food or water, and we are definitely gonna die. The power is back. How's the streaming? Are we still streaming? Sure. Okay. So it's a good thing we're just in the joke. Okay. The other man says, Don't worry, don't worry about being crash land. I make a hundred thousand dollars a week. Wow. We're gonna be fine. Yeah, but don't you see there's no food, there's no water. We're your hundred thousand back on the mainland, that's gonna do nothing for us. Like I said, man, I make a hundred grand a week. Don't worry, we'll be home in a day, two days max. Why in God's name do you keep saying that your money is gonna make a difference way the heck out here in the middle of nowhere? How can that matter? And the guy just sits back against the wrecked plane and he puts his hands behind his head and he just takes a deep breath and he says with a smile, you know, every Sunday I give 10%, my tithe, I give it to the church in the offering plate, like the good book instructs me to do. My pastor's gonna find me. We're gonna talk, we let's just get into our text here. Okay, so we get into 1 Corinthians chapter 16. It says, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches in Galatia, so you also must do. On the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing it up as he may prosper, that there may be no collections when I come. Okay, so we we have to talk about giving today, not because I chose to or I want to or we need it, but because we've reached the place in the Bible where it talks about it and it teaches us about it. And it actually is gonna teach us uh so much. You're gonna feel so free after today, I promise you. This is not gonna be like the traditional way that you've ever been taught about giving in your life. I promise you. How many of you have been taught that you should give 10% of everything you make to the Lord? Okay, I was also, I was taught. Let's start by saying that that was called the tithe, right? And that was in the Old Testament, there was a command to the nation of Israel. That was part of the law. And when Jesus came, that law was still intact, okay? So the uh the he came to the nation of Israel, and so he talked a lot about their laws and what they were going, uh what they were under and how they were relating to God at that point. But then Jesus died and he rose again for our sins, and and he changed everything. And one of the things he changed is that we have all been completely set free from the law, and the law includes the law to tithe, it includes all laws, even the law to honor the Sabbath. Like, did you sit at home yesterday on Saturday and do nothing all day because God commanded you? No, you probably went out and did stuff, right? I know I did. I swam in my pool, we went to the beach, it was it was a great day. Um, and the and tithing was is one of the laws, okay? So we have to understand this, and we're all gonna learn today that that giving is never measured by 10% or numbers at all, but by the heart. Okay, we're gonna we're gonna learn this today. The Spirit He floods us, he floods us with blessings and joy, and you have the opportunity to release a little bit of the grace that God has given you when you cheerfully give to worthy causes. Okay? That's what we're gonna learn today. So the New Testament makes it very, very clear that the the church, all us believers, everyone who believes in Jesus, we are free from all Old Testament laws, including the requirement to tithe 10% of all the money that you make. Here's some key passages I wanna I wanna show, I want to prove to you, okay? So, what I'm saying is that there is no command for Christians to tithe. There is no command for you to give 10% of your money. I'm gonna say it third time for the people in the back. There is no command. You do not have to tithe. Are you do you understand? You are free. It is a hundred percent you are free. And this is not even debatable. Good Google it. Is there any commands in the New Testament to tithe? No, there is not. Well, then why have I heard it? Hmm, that's it. That's a really good question. You should probably maybe talk to your pastor about that. But let's look at these scriptures so that we hear from the Word of God what the truth is. It says, For sin shall no longer be your master, for you are not under the law, but under grace. So that verse emphasizes how Christians are not bound by the law, but we live under the grace of God. And grace changes our hearts to be like God. And guess what? He is selfless and he is generous. And these are clues to what we are gonna be like when we're under grace. You're gonna be greedy and keep all your money to yourself. No? That's right. Boldly say it. No, that's right. Here's another verse, Galatians 5, 18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you're not under the law. Tithing was a law, but if we're led by the Spirit, we're not under the law. Paul explains that if you're led by the Spirit, you're not subject to any of the requirements of the law. Hebrews chapter 7, verse 18. The former regulation, that's the law, is set aside because of its weak and useless or weakness and unprofitableness. And there's a better hope through which we draw near to God. That means that the law was set aside or done away with because there's a better way to be a good person, and it's called the Holy Spirit or grace. God is going to inspire us by his love and by his spirit inside us, he's gonna inspire us in a totally different way than you should give 10%. That is not the way God is going to inspire you because that's law. Anytime you see, I you say, I have to do this, you have put yourself under the law. When you say, I want and I'm passionate to do something, that is being led by the Spirit or grace. The last one we'll look at here, Colossians 2.14, having canceled the charge of our legal, and well, let me just read it in this version, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, he's taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Have anyone, have has anyone in here given 10% of all that you have ever made faithfully your entire life? No? Well, great. According to the law, we're all going to hell. See, see, see, when we want to live under the law, it's not measuring how good you are. It's measuring how short you fall from perfection. That's the law. The law is not a message of hope. It's not this is what you should be, it's this is what perfection is, and this is how far away from it we are. So no one has tithed 10%. In fact, there's been a lot of teaching about tithing since the church started, I think. And especially the past hundred years, there's come a lot of preachers in this philosophy that if you tithe, God will bless you. If you tithe, it's gonna, it's gonna, that 10% is gonna earn you God's blessings. Hmm. But what we're not seeing in this is that nobody tithes. And they've done, Barna has done surveys, and guess how many people die tithe 10%? Less than one-tenth of one percent of all Christians actually tithe 1%, 10%. If if you take an average of how much Christians tithe all around the world, it would average 3%. That's about how much people give. So I said I propose, and I think the Bible teaches, we scrap the entire system. We are never gonna ask people to tithe. We don't. Have you ever heard us ask you for money at this church? Never. And guess what? We never will. We never, ever, ever will. And I have been a pastor for uh we did we did 10 years at my previous church and served in ministry 10 years before that. Never in any church I have served at have we ever asked for money. And we never will. And guess what? I've eaten every day of my life too much. God has provided generously. Why? Because he loves me and he has grace upon me, and I have been completely dependent upon him for my salary, my money, for since I was 21 years old. And God has provided every step of the way without ever asking for money. And so we will continue to do that. If we scrap the whole system of asking people to give 10% and teach them instead, God loves you, God cherishes you, God has been so generous to you. I'm gonna skip ahead to the end of the sermon right now. Go spend some time with him and see what he puts on your heart. I think we're gonna come out way ahead, and God's kingdom is gonna advance because we're not just gonna be getting money, we're gonna be getting people who are now connected to a loving father, and they're gonna be offering not just their money, but their time and their hearts. And like like Nate, uh Nate comes in and sings. I'm just gonna use you as an example. Nate, you come in and sing and offer your uh the world has to pay him so much money to sing. The world had though they have to pay, you don't pay for you don't work for pennies, right? They pay you the big bucks, right? And we d someone tried to pay you one time and it was you you ripped up the check and threw it in their face and called them a dirty name. And um, I I just love that he has it in his heart that he wants to give his talent and his time to Jesus. And guess what? He has never just blown me off. He's never, I'm just talking about you probably making you feel a little bad, but he's done a wonderful job. Thank you, Nate, for that. We appreciate that. And it and it shows that the Spirit of God is working in his heart. I got I'm getting so off on a tangent here, I need to get back to my notes. All right, these passages that we read, they they all tell us that Christians are not under the law, even the law to tithe. Okay, you are absolutely free. Um, instead, we're invited to live by the spirit. And that's what we talk about every week. And we have to know how to live by the spirit. You gotta know how to live by the spirit. It's easy to know how to live by the law. It says this, I do this. But guess what? You suck at doing that. I suck at doing that. We can't do it. So we have to have a different way to live, which is called living by the spirit, where we give freely and joyfully from the heart as an expression of our thankfulness and gratitude to God, which is how Nate leads us in worship, which I am very grateful for. But won't God owe me and bless me if I give him 10%? Is my life gonna be better? Hmm, no. No, you are not more saved if you give a special amount to the Lord. Did you know that? There's no different place in heaven for Christians who tithed close to 10%, or one week tithed 10%. You're not more loved or less loved because of your performance. That's what the awesome thing is about being a child of God. You are not less loved because you fail to measure up to something. You are loved, period. You are adopted, period, by faith in Christ. And so it's never your performance. That it said was done away with. It was nailed to the cross. Our lack of performance, our failure to measure up to his Ten Commandments and all the requirements in the Old Testament, all of that failure was nailed to the cross. And what do we get in exchange? Grace and love and acceptance. He he treats us as if you give everything to him. He treats us as if you were Jesus. You can never earn grace because it's always a free gift. And your place and position with God is always free. It doesn't matter what I do. You're saying it doesn't matter what I do? Are you saying it doesn't matter what I do? No, it actually matters more what you do now. Because everything you do as a Christian is a reflection of your identity that God has given you by his grace. Everything you do is a reflection of his gift he's given to you. So if you take, you have been forgiven, and if you take that forgiveness and you parade it around this city and sin as much as you want, that is a poor reflection of the grace that's been given you. That doesn't look like God. Your actions do not line up with the grace that has been given to you. And that's why your life matters more now. What you do matters more now. So we're gonna look at 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6 through 8. He says, But I say this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, he who sows bountily will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. So let's break that down. He says, He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Does this mean that God will return to you a financial blessing every time you make a financial gift? Is that what it means? No. I like that answer. When you give, what does it promise? What is this promise? He promises you that you will be rewarded, but it may be spiritual blessings, it may be heavenly blessings. Did you know you can't take your bank account to heaven? Did you know that? When you die, it's gonna go to somebody that you probably don't even like anymore. But you can send it ahead. God says anything you give with the by the Spirit will be sent ahead and you will reap. Remember last week we talked about our bodies and how it's sowed and then it becomes something glorious? Well, the same happens with your life, through everything you do, including your giving. If you sow it, God will bless you. But it he doesn't promise that you're gonna get rich. I want you to understand, this is not the path to get rich. That is false teaching. It is not true in the Bible. Giving does not mean you will get rich. God will not, that's not, it may happen. He loves to, he loves to bless you. He may make you rich just because he loves you. It might happen. He does, but if he makes you poor, that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. It means he's chosen you to represent him in even a more special way than those who are rich. Ah, there's so much here that we could talk about. Any rewards God gives you in this life are just temporary. Why? Because this life is temporary. So if God just made you rich when you gave to him, that would be a junkie reward and compared to if he gave it to you in heaven. It's like, do you want the cookie now or the pack of cookies later? Any kid knows how to make a good deal, right? So storing up treasures in heaven is a valid way to think about your life, your resources, and everything. So the tithe. Literally the word tithe means 10%. So I don't even like using the word tithe when we're talking to Christians, uh, because it puts a number on it, right? And tithing is not a requirement for Christians. So where does the idea come from? Well, it comes from the Old Testament and the Old Covenant, and God took it very seriously. Look at what he says in Malachi chapter three. He says, Will a man rob God, yet you are robbing me? So he's talking to the nation of Israel, and he says, How have we robbed you? In in tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you're robbing me uh and the whole nation of you. Bring in the full tithe and the storehouses, and he goes on and says, It's it's it's robbing God. So they were required to tithe, the entire nation. And uh we got to keep that in context that it was in the name in the old covenant, in the law. And so in Leviticus 27, 30, he says, Every tithe of the land, whether of the sea or the land or the fruits or the trees, is the Lord's, and it is holy to the Lord. And then Jesus comes on the scene. And you're like, Well, didn't Jesus talk about tithing? Absolutely, he did. Two Jewish people who were tithing, because they thought that tithing made them righteous, because they did a good job tithing, God had to accept them. Okay? But that's not what God was looking for. God was looking for their hearts, and God wanted to give them grace, and their being under this law of tithing was keeping them from receiving grace. So Jesus said, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and you've neglected neglected the weightier matters of the law. So that means tithing was a matter of the law. We've been freed from the law. Okay. Justice and mercy and faithfulness are more important to God. These you ought to have done without neglecting the other. So notice Jesus, he's reproving them not for tithing. He says, Fine that you're tithing, that was great. But you're jerks. You're you're terrible people. You don't care about anybody. Why? Because they didn't have the heart of their father. Uh, but they thought they were right with God because they were giving 10%. That's the problem with tithing. Most, not most, some pastors will tell you, hey, if you want to be right with God, get start by giving your 10%. I'm telling you, that is the last step in fruitfulness in the life of a Christian. Having a generous heart is not where you start, it's the end result. So I'm never gonna tell you, you know, hey, let's get started. You're coming to church. Well, let's get your bank account signed up here. Absolutely not. Okay, we're not after your money, we're after your heart. Because Jesus is after your heart. He knows that when he gets a hold of your heart, you'll come every week and lead worship and never do, never say a word about it. Just lovingly serve. You'll come and you'll vacuum, you'll you'll serve, you'll you'll love on people, you'll be calling people up because he's got your heart with his love and you just love other people. That's what we're after. That's the real gospel. Um, so this requirement to tithe, like we said, is not repeated in the New Testament. Believers are not under this law in any way. Uh, it's never repeated. So, does that mean that Christians, we are not expected to give? Not at all. Actually, Jesus taught us many ways that we can give. So let's talk about that now. First, Jesus taught us to give to those who are in need, to notice those who are in need and to give to those who are in need. He told us a parable in Matthew 25 said, and he says, if you don't do this, he says, it's possible that you don't even know me. Notice, he doesn't say you're not, you you didn't follow the rules, and so you're going to hell because you didn't follow the rules. He says, if you don't give to people, if your heart isn't moved by the need of others, he says, you gotta ask yourself if you even know me. That's what it's about. A second way you can give is you can support your local church, your local friendly church. It's great to have a church that's committed to worship God in truth and teach his word and send out and raise up and train up new pastors who will also go out and build God's kingdom. And that's that's uh a great way to invest your um generosity in the kingdom. When you find a church like that, support it as much as you can. And as much as you can rejoice in. The third way, another way that you can give, is by supporting missions and ministries and missionaries. They are living by faith. They don't have, they're not making money with a corporate paycheck. They are living by faith. Missions is an incredible way that we can send our generosity out into God's kingdom working world. So next week we're gonna be having a missions week where we're gonna talk about different ways that we as a church are gonna work uh at uh helping out missionaries and different ministries. So come next week and we'll talk about that. We're gonna um, but that's that's great. Now I want to talk about four principles, not rules, but principles that you can keep in mind when you think about giving that will help you. And they're not gonna be 10%. Okay, I'm never gonna say that. These are not like religious rules, they're just principles you can keep in mind. I want to look again, I'm gonna read again the text in 2 Corinthians 9. This I say, he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. So let each one purpose in his heart, give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work. All right, principle number one, freedom and cheerfulness. Give what you have decided in your heart. Give what you have decided in your heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Okay, so this means you have to, have to, have to be joyful. In other words, if you give and you're not joyful, it doesn't count. If you give because God because someone convinced you to give, that doesn't count. The only thing that counts is if you're like, yes, I'm so excited to partner with what God is doing here. That is the only way that it works. Why does God do that? Because it's safe for you. You can never go back and say, well, that pastor sure made me emotionally feel like I should do this. Or he he told a sob story about he's not gonna get paid and his little kids aren't gonna eat because the church isn't supporting him. That is not the way to make this happen. You have to give cheerfully and uh it you are free to give. Your giving doesn't matter if it's motivated by any other purpose except pure love and God's grace in your life. All right, the second one we're gonna look at is grace and generosity. Recognize that everything you have is a gift from God. Do you believe that? Everything you have was given to you by God. That's humility, and God gives grace to the humble. But pride says, wait a second, I worked hard for everything I got. That's pride, and God says he resists the proud. So you're not gonna experience this oneness and closeness with God if you have a philosophy that says, I earned my place in life. I earned this life, I earned this marriage, and I'm gonna keep it, and no one's gonna take it from me. That heart isn't God's heart, and we can't walk in that heart and know that He, know what His heart is. And the the only thing about this life that really matters is connecting with your father's heart, which I'm gonna show you how to do. The third thing is purpose and love. You gotta let your giving be motivated by love and a desire to support the work of the gospel and help those who are in need. So when we give, it's about participating in God's mission and expressing God's love to others. It's never to get credit for it, which is why we don't pass an offering plate. So you can be like, you see these dollar bills, I'm coming in here. I'm like, why would you ever do that? And in my opinion, I'm like, why would you ever pass the so that people can get attention? We have a we have a secret place where you can give. And if you want to find it, good luck. Because it needs to be done with purpose and love. And fourth, most importantly, no pressure, no guilt. There is no specific percentage, there is no specific requirement. You are free to give as you are led. Whether that's more or less than the traditional 10%, it does not matter at all. Focus on the heart and the willingness to give what God puts in your heart. Here's the problem. We're scared. We are scared. We're scared because we really don't think God loves us. And so when we get something, we're fearful to give it away because we forget that God gave us that in the first place and he can give more and he will give more. He is a generous father. He doesn't ask you to give to destroy you. He's asking you to give so that you can discover his faithfulness and his love. That he is truly your father. I've heard it said that you can never outgive God. And I believe that that is true. God will provide for your needs. Those are the promises God has made. But when we feel the pressure of like, well, I got all this and I got that, God doesn't say to give beyond your means. He doesn't say, hey, I got this bill coming up, but if I give, then I can't pay my bill. God never says that. He says, pay your bills. Pay your bills first. Now, maybe you were stupid and signed up for a bill you shouldn't be getting. Ferrari didn't, he didn't need to have a Ferrari. So that's on you. So yeah, you might get in financial discipline because you spent too much. And you should talk through that and you should confess that to the Lord as a sin. But his heart is to build you up and to teach you to be content with what you have and then generously give to God's purposes after that. There's never pressure or guilt. Okay. Don't give at the expense of your own family. If your family is like, well, God's told me to give everything and my kids are going to starve this week, so bye. That's not God's will. In fact, Paul says, if you don't provide for the needs of your family, you're worse than an unbeliever. So always take care. If you're not going to be able to pay your bills or pay your rent, that's the church is going to maybe be pot be able to help you or people. God might use people's generosity to help you. And then once you're able, you can tithe what God puts on your tithe. Oh, I'm so terrible. Give what God puts on your heart. See how tradition is just the worst? Okay. All right, back to our text. You're like, you're gonna finish this entire chapter. We've only gone through one verse. Check it out. Concerning the collection of the saints, I've given orders to the Church of Galatia, so you also must do on the first day of the week, let each one of you lay aside something, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. So let's just look at a couple things in this. Let each one of you, so who's supposed to give? He says, each person, not just the rich people, not just the poor people, not just the spiritual people. Paul wanted all to give because every Christian should be a giver. Why? Because God is a giver and we share in his identity. So it doesn't matter how much. He says, as you purpose in your own heart. But he says, each person, there's just something that we're sharing in the identity that God has given you. You're letting his love leak out of you when you choose to secretly give. But who's gonna see if I secretly give? That's the point. Your father sees. And it makes him smile when you're like, Father, I'm doing this for you. Not for any man, not for any reason, but I do it for you. He says, lay something aside, storing it up. So this has the idea of coming to church with your gift already prepared. Do not give because the pastor tells you to give. Never do listen to a pastor like that. You should always go at home to your seeker place, seek God about your gift at home. Prepare it at home. Whether you do it online or you prepare it, however, you prepare it. This makes one thing important. You gotta seek God. You have to seek the Lord. That's what I'm teaching you today. Seek God. He wants to talk with you about this, he wants to meet with you. If you just say, Well, I'm just gonna give 10%, we're good, right, Jesus? Jesus is like, no, I don't want you to give 10%. You're free from that rule. Do not do that. Do not do that. When we seek the Lord, it helps you resist the manipulation to give. If I were a terrible pastor, I would try to manipulate you, saying, Oh, if we had this money, if we did this, we could do that, we could do the other. Oh, God has been really letting us down, and he needs you to really dig deep and really sacrifice. All of that is manipulation. Don't listen to it. Fire me if I say that. And then he says, That there be no collections when I come. That's cool. Paul didn't want to manipulate anyone, he wanted their giving to be from the heart as they heard from God themselves. You know how exciting it is to hear God's voice? Go ask him, Lord, what should I do and what should I give? What can I do for your kingdom? And I guarantee you, as you open the Bible and you start reading, God will speak to you. Wow, that's amazing. I'm not gonna tell you. Your spouse isn't gonna tell you. God will speak to you. And it is the most exciting thing in the world to have God speak directly to you. Then you and him have like this secret thing. Oh, God told me to do this. And I'm gonna do it. And I know it makes him smile when I obey him in that way. What do we see here? That when you when you are giving, it's an amazing opportunity to seek the heart of your father and hear his voice. And he promises everyone who seeks him with their whole heart will find him. Now, if you seek him, God, where would you like my five dollars to go? And you know that maybe you should do more or less, doesn't matter. But if you put a limit on it or if you put a number on it, that's not seeking him with the whole heart. That's seeking him with this part of your heart or that part of you. He wants your whole heart. He promises you that it's gonna, he's gonna fill it with love. He's already filled your heart with love. So to discover it, open everything to him and put everything on the table and say, My whole life is yours. My whole life belongs to you, Jesus. You will find when you seek him that he's way better than you think. He's way more capable of changing your mind than you think. He's way more powerful and loving than you think. But he will wait until you get alone with him to reveal that part of him to you. He'll wait for you to really understand it and see it and experience it. He'll wait till you say, I'm gonna seek you, Father. I'm gonna open up my word and I'm gonna get on my knees and I'm gonna seek you. Do not give to this church or any ministry until you do that. Do not give your money, your hard-earned money anywhere until you seek the Lord's heart. I do not want a line of people at our secret giving place today. I want you to go home today and talk to your father about it. And then do whatever God puts on your heart. Then he says, Uh gosh. I'm gonna skip this part here. All right, let's finish the book. When it when I come, whomever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if if it is fitting that I all go also, then they will go with me. Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia, for I am passing through Macedonia, and it may be when I remained, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey wherever I go. Look at Paul was a winter Macedonian. It's biblical to spend your winter someplace warm. Right, Dad? All right, for I do not wish you uh to see you now on the on the way, but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and an effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. If Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord as I also do. Therefore, let no one despise him, but send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me, for I am waiting for him with the brethren. Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time. However, he will come when it is a convenient time. Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, and let all you do be done with love. So we called our entire study of 1 Corinthians Grace Glasses. Having grace glasses, when you're seeing the world through the philosophy of grace, the theology of the new covenant, it has gonna have a real effect on the on your life. You're gonna be able to, you're gonna be watching because you're gonna be able to see rightly. You're gonna be able to stand fast in the faith. You're gonna be brave, you're gonna be strong, you're gonna be able to let all that you do be done with love. Why? Because this is your new identity in Christ. You are brave, you are strong in Christ. And that's that's uh what that's about there. So he's kind of finishing up and he says, I urge you, brethren, you should know the household of Stephanus, that it is the first fruits of Achaea, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints, that you sub also submit to such as to and to everyone who works and labors with us. I'm glad about the coming of Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaeus, for they, what was lacking on your part, they supplied. These were various teachers and pastors that Paul was working with, and he's just saying, they're doing a great job. Thank you for listening to them and supporting them. For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men. The churches in Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, and the church that is in their house, all the brethren greet you, greet one another with a holy kiss. The so this the salutation with my own hand, Paul's. So Paul didn't literally write this note. He had he like dictated it. Someone else wrote it for him, but he literally wrote his name at the end of it with his messy handwriting. He said, Paul's. Then he says, If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. So he's like, let everyone who doesn't love Jesus be accursed. You're like, whoa, that's pretty aggressive, Paul. Well, what he means is that yes, loving Jesus is the point of life. And if you don't love Jesus, if you don't have a love relationship with Jesus, relationship, relationship, not religion, relationship, your life will be cursed. You will have a curse on your life because he is the source of all blessing. Jesus is the source of all blessing. Everything in your life that's good is from him, and he works everything that's bad out for your good by his grace, by your love. So believe the gospel, my friends. Receive it, enjoy it, and it's free. His gospel is free, his grace is free. Being a member of the church is free. There is no tax. But if you are not 100% sure that you are forgiven of all your sins, that you have a right relationship with God, that you have been forgiven and adopted as a child of God, right now is a moment where you can say, I believe that Jesus was God, died on the cross for me, was a sacrifice for my sin on the cross, and rose again, proving that he was God. You can believe that today. And so, Father, we now all pray, we close our eyes, and Lord, it's enough man talking. We want to hear the voice of God in our hearts. We want to hear your word spoken to our hearts. Lord, forgive us for all the times where we listened to men, all the times we depended on our own works, our own giving for our uh confidence in our relationship with you, God. And Lord, we renounce everything that we've ever depended on, except for the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. You give us everything. You give us grace to abound in every good work. You give us all the money we've ever had, Lord, and we give the most precious treasure we have. We give it to you. And that right now, today, is our hearts. Lord, we love our spouse with our hearts. We love our children, our families with our hearts, and that's very precious to us. But Father, we give our full and our complete hearts without reservation to you. We renounce every other God, we renounce every other love. You are our only love, and Jesus, we will be a church that loves you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength because your spirit in us makes us able and willing to do that. Thank you for saving us, Jesus. Thank you for setting us free. Thank you for adopting us and being a Father that loves us with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you sent Jesus to us and we receive him, we praise him, we love him. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.