Good morning. I'm going to jump right into our lesson this morning. You'll notice that we're moving on to a different section of 2 Corinthians, and it's actually going to be a little bit different than what we've been studying so far in Chapter 8. Paul's going to take a little different approach here. But this is part one, and the reason why I called it part one is because really this whole section goes all the way through chapter 9, verse 5 in 2 Corinthians. But we're going to be focusing on chapter 8, 16 through 24 this morning. So if you're wondering why at the top of your lesson it has 2 Corinthians 8, 16 through 9, 5, But then below, I think below the title there, Stewardship with Integrity, I put 2 Corinthians 8, 16-24, so you know we're focusing on this first part. But these two sections really go together as one complete thought and one complete passage. But let's go ahead and look to the Lord in prayer this morning before we get into our lesson. Father, we thank you so much for the opportunity to come and study your word. We thank you for the instruction we have. about giving among believers in the church. And we pray that you would cause all of us to reflect upon our personal and corporate lives as believers in the area of finances and stewardship and making sure that we are above reproach in our dealings with financial matters. We pray that you would encourage us through the gospel of Christ this morning. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. It's been two weeks, I think, since we last looked in 2 Corinthians. And if you remember, we studied verses 12 through 15 of chapter 8, and we saw clearly from verse 12 in chapter 8 that giving among believers should flow out of not a grudging heart, not a compulsory heart, but out of really a willing heart. And willing hearts manifest acceptable and proportional giving within the body of Christ, which we also studied in those verses as well. Paul had said it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have, in verse 12. And next, we saw that giving among believers should result in equal provision for needs. And we really focused on the fact that this wasn't an equality in as far as possessions go but rather inequality and being free from one. So we really made the point to stress that it's OK if another believer has more than we have or if we have more than another believer. But the message that Paul was driving out with the Corinthians is that he wanted them to understand that God was using them to provide inequality and being free from want. meaning those things that other believers needed, and specifically, the poor saints in Jerusalem. This morning, our study takes on a new light, as I hinted at a minute ago, as Paul reveals his necessary, intentional, and practical implementation of stewarding the monetary collection with integrity. So I'll repeat that, because that's kind of a mouthful. This morning, our passage is really going to reveal Paul's necessary, intentional, and practical implementation of stewarding the monetary collection with integrity. We've been focusing on this collection, which Paul initiated in 1 Corinthians 16, to gather financial resources because there were believers in Jerusalem who were destitute and really needy at this time. And so it was Paul's desire that the churches, the Gentile churches in Macedonia and the churches in the region of Achaia, specifically the church at Corinth, would willingly, sacrificially, and joyfully give to this collection in order to help out their brothers and sisters in Christ in Jerusalem. If you're not there already, please turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 8, and we're going to read our passage for this morning, verses 16 through 24. Paul says, but thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches. And not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our readiness, taking precautions so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift. For we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ, therefore Openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you. First of all, this morning in verse 16, we have Paul's thankfulness for God's work in Titus' heart. Paul begins this next section with thanksgiving for what God has done in the life of Titus. Where else have we seen this phrase, but thanks be to God in second Corinthians. Do you remember there's only one other place previously in this epistle where Paul starts out with, but thanks be to God. Does anybody remember where that was? I'll give you a hint. It has something to do with us being a sweet saver of Christ. Well, I'll give you the answer to chapter two, verse 14, where Paul had said, but thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. Paul had faithfully pointed, throughout his ministry, he faithfully pointed the Corinthian church to give thanks to God for the wonderful things that had been done in their lives and through them in the lives of other believers. And then later in 2 Corinthians 9 verse 15, we're going to study this verse coming up in the weeks ahead. He says, thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. So thanksgiving to God was a very important lesson that Paul was both teaching and modeling to the believers in Corinth. We need to ask the question, what is Paul offering thanks to God for in the text before us? First of all, He's thankful that Titus was given the same earnestness. Look in verse 16. He says, but thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. We have this Greek word translated earnestness in this next phrase, and it has a sense of zeal. And this zeal was the same that Paul had for the Corinthians. Paul says, thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. Paul had expressed and demonstrated this zeal, this earnestness for the Corinthians, that they would excel in growing in their Christian walk, and especially in this context, that they would excel in giving to and completing the collection for the needy saints in Jerusalem. Titus and Paul's eager desire was not for the Corinthians money. They weren't out to try and take advantage of their brothers and sisters in Christ financially, but their eagerness was for the Corinthians to be excelling in their love for other believers manifested by the collection for the Jerusalemites. And in the same way, we ourselves have to be careful of the church to make sure our eagerness in serving or ministering to other believers is not for selfish gain, but genuinely for the well-being of others, so that we genuinely want believers to be provided for financially or to grow some way spiritually, and that our testimony is not being called into question. Next, Paul was thankful that Titus accepted his appeal. So, second, Titus accepted Paul's appeal, and this is the beginning of verse 17. He says, For he not only accepted our appeal, so we asked the question, what was the appeal from Paul that Titus accepted? We can find this back in verse six of chapter eight. And Paul had said in verse six of chapter eight, so we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. Over a year ago, Titus had, or about a year ago, within the context of Paul writing this letter, Titus had begun this gracious work, this act of grace, or this collection among the Corinthians. And so Paul had urged Titus to go ahead and complete that collection that he started among the Corinthians. And Titus accepted this, but he didn't only accept the appeal that Paul made to him, but he went to the Corinthians willingly. He acted upon the appeal that Paul had placed before him. It says here in verse 17, he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest or zealous, he has gone to you of his own accord. So verse 17 evidences how Titus' zeal or eagerness for the Corinthians is the same as Paul's. Paul was thankful to God that he had given the same earnestness in the heart of Titus, and now in verse 17, that same eagerness, that same zeal for the Corinthians is evidenced. And first, in that Titus accepted Paul's appeal to return to Corinth and finish the work of the collection, and second, that he willingly returned of his own initiative. Another question, why didn't Paul go to the Corinthians himself to collect the money for the Jerusalemites? Sometimes people have these ideas, hey, we should do this, and you think that's great, it was your idea, why don't you go ahead and carry that out? So why didn't Paul, since he was the one that initiated this collection, why didn't he himself go to the Corinthians, take up the collection, and deliver it all himself to the saints at Jerusalem? The answer is that Paul most likely kept himself removed from the actual collection process in order to guard against false accusations. He had already spent a good part of this epistle defending the authenticity of his call as an apostle, and there were many detractors among the church at Corinth who were already seeking causes to discredit his ministry and his commission as an apostle of Jesus Christ. So Paul is trying to avoid any opportunity for his opponents to call his ministry into question. Now look at that phrase in verse 17 at the end there, the last part of verse 17, it says, referring to Titus, he has gone to you of his own accord. And here's our Greek lesson for the morning. The tense of the Greek verb translated has gone is actually an epistolary aorist. There's going to be a 10-point quiz at the end, so make sure you get that down. It's an epistolary aorist, and so more accurately, the verb communicates that Titus is setting off, presently he's setting off to go, or he is about to depart. And Harris actually explains this Epistolary Errorist more clearly for us by stating that the Epistolary Errorist involves action that is contemporaneous or future at the time of writing, but will be past when the letter is read. Such action is courteously portrayed from the perspective of the reader. In other words, what's going on here is Paul is writing about what's happening now as he's writing this letter, Titus, his delegation, which we're going to read about, other two brothers, are getting ready or they're already on their way to the church at Corinth to administer this collection. So by the time that the Corinthians actually read this letter, no doubt Titus and his traveling companions would either have already met up with them or they would be arriving very shortly after that. So what is the summary here of these two verses that we've looked at so far? Well, they give us evidence that the collection for the saints in Jerusalem was not just Paul's pet project. He didn't just come up with this idea and ram it through and do it all by himself. And some proof for this is that there were others. specifically Titus, as we have seen, who also had the same eagerness for this collection as well for the believers in Jerusalem. Because he not only accepted Paul's appeal that we saw back in chapter 8, verse 6, but he willingly went and gave himself to go to Corinth. These two verses, verses 16 through 17, really help us set the stage for present-day application to the Church. specifically to church leaders, pastors, elders, deacons, or those who would be on financial committees at churches deciding what to do with the money for different ministries and things. However, the biblical model, contrary to just going out and doing their own thing, is a plurality of godly men being led unanimously by the Spirit of God in a project and being in agreement. And that's what Paul and Timothy and these brothers that we're going to learn about are modeling for us. MacArthur says this, he says, forceful, strong-willed leaders can often ram through their projects, but biblically sound stewardship programs will be led by a plurality of godly men. And this is true in our churches today, even that there are pastors and and other spiritual leaders that come up with these ideas of what they think the church's financial resources should be used for. And they go ahead and ram through these these projects and push forward their agendas. But they're not demonstrating biblical sound stewardship by consulting other godly men and really setting up and accountability so that their testimony cannot be called into question. Not only does Paul record his thankfulness to God for what he did in Titus' life, but next, he introduces the first of two brothers who were to assist Titus with the stewarding of the collection from Corinth. So next, Paul's commendation of the renowned brother. We're going to see this in verses 18 through 19a. verses 9, verse 18 says, we have sent along with him the brother whose fame and the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches. And there's just a quick little phrase here, right in the beginning. It says, we have sent along with him referring to Titus This indicates that Titus was the head of this delegation. He really was the leader of this delegation going to Corinth to take up this collection, to complete the collection for the Jerusalem Saints. But then we have this brother who is not named. And reading through the commentators and scholars and different things, people have many different opinions and ideas of who this brother is. But we don't have any cross references. We don't have really any thing to give us solid conclusions about who this brother is. So to spend too much time trying to question and speculate about who he is is really, I think, not the widest use of our time this morning. So we're just going to focus on what the text says about him here. And notice that it is clear that Paul sent him with Titus, not because of his public speaking skills or business knowledge, but because of his outstanding godly character and integrity, specifically in the ministry of the gospel. He is the first of two guarantors that Paul sent along with Titus for this collection. You're asking the question, why is he sending somebody along with Titus? Isn't Titus a man of integrity? Isn't Titus a faithful follower of Jesus Christ? Well, he was, but not only did adding other brothers in Christ to this delegation ensure credibility and the stewardship of collection funds, but it also followed the New Testament model of giving to the church leaders. Acts 4, 34 through 37, If you want to turn there gives us the New Testament model of giving when church leaders are involved in how those church leaders were to go about collecting. And as we'll see from these verses there's a plurality of specifically here in this context apostles who are receiving the money. There's not just one because if you don't have a plurality of people. within the church administering these financial resources, your good can begin to be evil spoken of. You can be caught in situations where you are not above reproach. So verse 34 of Acts 4 says, For there was not a needy person among them, referring to the church, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet. And they would be distributed to each as any had need. And now in verse 36, now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, then jumped down to verse 37, and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Apostles being plural. So here we have the New Testament model of a plurality of spiritual leaders within the church receiving this money. Every Sunday, believers here give of their tithes and offerings to the Lord. And we have men here at the Bible Church who collect and count the tithes and offerings of the church that we actually collect at a box in the back. And in order to ensure integrity, honesty, and avoiding the appearance of evil, there are always at least two men counting the money after the morning worship service. Can you see the parallel between our present context here at the Bible Church and those who are entrusted to steward the money from the Corinthians and then to deliver it to the believers in Jerusalem? There's a plurality of godly men who had exhibited Christ-like character and by that provided accountability and integrity. with the stewardship and distribution of the Saints money to the other Saints. So God has certainly given us an example to follow in this passage when it comes to handling the monetary gifts of the church and accountability is a must for believers. Then he moves on to verses eight, verse 18, uh, The second part of verse 18, as well as verse 19, where Paul gives two credentials which set this brother apart as qualified to assist Titus in the administration and stewardship of the collection for the Jerusalemites. And first qualification is that his fame and the things of the gospel had spread to all the churches. So he was well known for the things of the gospel. This brother's first credential was that he was well known for the things of the gospel. And he doesn't give us any more details to go on, other than that he was well known for the things of the gospel. So this could refer to a few things here. It could refer to his preaching of the gospel, referring to this unnamed brother. It could refer to his spreading of the gospel, or it could refer to his general ministry and services for the gospel. I think those are all biblical possibilities. Paul just doesn't give us the explicit answer here as to what exactly this means, the things of the gospel. But I believe all of those are definitely possibilities, if not all of them together, referring to what it means, the things of the gospel. Second, as we'll see next in verse 19, this unnamed brother had been appointed by the churches. So first credential is that he was well known for the things of the gospel. Second credential, he was appointed by the churches. Not only was the reputation of his brother concerning the gospel ministry widespread among the churches, but he was appointed by the churches to travel with Paul and Titus as they completed the collection. He was to be a guarantor against accusations that Paul and Titus, or possible accusations that Paul and Titus were conspiring together to keep some of the money for themselves. As we're going to see, this collection Paul was anticipating was going to be quite abundant because of the collections of the Macedonian churches where they gave above and beyond what they could really afford. They gave sacrificially. And he was exhorting the Corinthian believers to also give joyfully and sacrificially according to what they were able to. So Paul was definitely anticipating an abundant collection for the needy believers in Jerusalem. So there was much opportunity for false accusations to arise, of which Paul was seeking to guard against. Number three this morning on your outline, let's take a look at the forethought that Paul had in order to practice stewardship with integrity. So number three, Paul's precautionary steps to steward the collection with integrity. First of all, we see that the collection was for the glory of the Lord. Paul was not taking up this collection so that everybody would see what's such a great guy. I mean, Paul, you're such a great guy looking out for the needs of others and providing for these needy believers. You know, you just always give, give, giving. You're just a great guy, Paul. Paul was not concerned about that. He was concerned ultimately for the glory of the Lord. because he understood that as he helped provide for the needs of these other believers, that God would receive the glory. And actually, if you look over in verse 12 of chapter 9, we looked at this last time as well, but Paul says, for the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, he was glad that this ministry was supplying the needs for the saints, But it is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. This is what Paul was excited about most. And then verse 13, because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all. So Paul was excited genuinely that the needs of the saints were provided for. far above their needs being provided, he was excited that God was glorified and receiving the credit for this. So the collection was for the glory of the Lord. Look at the second part of verse 19 there. He says, referring to this gracious work, the collection, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness. So Paul reveals that he himself plays a key role along with the brethren in administering this collection, and that the purpose of it is the glory of the Lord and to show our readiness. We have a word here, readiness. In the Greek, it can also mean goodwill or eagerness. So no doubt Paul remembered and realized that the saints in Jerusalem had not forgotten who he used to be. He used to be Saul, the persecutor of the church. He used to drag men and women off to the jails and one who consented of Stephen stoning. So it was important for them to see through this gracious collection, Paul's goodwill or eagerness manifested through his initiation, follow through, completion and delivery to Jerusalem of the monetary collection among the churches. Next, precautions. We see precautions taken concerning those who would discredit the stewardship of the collection. Precautions taken concerning those who would discredit the stewardship of the collection. Paul says in verse 20, taking precautions so that no one would discredit us in our administration of this generous gift. Paul had to take every precaution that he could got so that he could guard against false charges such as embezzlement. People coming along saying, wow, Paul's got all this money and nobody's really keeping him accountable on this. Is he really giving that all to the thanks in Jerusalem or is he keeping some of it for himself? Well, like we mentioned earlier, he fully believed that the Corinthians would give abundantly to the collection, which is why he references this generous gift. That word generous at the end of verse 20 there. has a sense of abundance. This gift was was generous in that there was a lot of money that was being collected for the needy believers in Jerusalem. So this great this this this large sum would give greater cause for charges of embezzlement by his detractors. So in order to Avoid this from happening. Paul put others in his place to be responsible for the stewardship, thus hopefully abolishing all chances of false accusations toward Paul of embezzlement. And next, in verse 21, Paul says, we have regard for, we have regard for what is honorable. So next, Paul had regard for what is right. You'll notice a small word that begins verse 21, for, which is actually a conjunction. And this conjunction, for, acts as a connecting or purpose word, transitioning from verse 20 to verse 21. He says in verse 20, taking precaution, so that, or for the purpose that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift, for, or for the purpose or because we have regard for what is honorable. He took precaution in sending this delegation and putting other men in his place as accountability for this collection because he had regard for what is right. The whole purpose of this collection, as we just stated recently, was for the glory of the Lord. But he also desired not to discredit the ministry of the gospel in any way before men. That's why he says in the sight of God and in the sight of men or in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. Back in chapter six, verse three, Paul expressed the desire back then not to discredit the ministry of the gospel in any way before men. He says, giving no cause for offense in anything so that the ministry will not be discredited. This was a theme throughout Paul's life as a believer. He sought to live in such a way so that his actions from discipling to evangelism to practical things such as collecting money to help needy believers was above board and above reproach. Now, looking at ourselves, whether we are helping serve in the church in some capacity where we are handling the tithes and the offerings of God's people, or whether we are handling large sums of money at our workplace in a secular environment, we must always seek to do what is honorable or right in the sight of the Lord and in the sight of man, because no doubt there are people watching us who could be believers or who could be unbelievers just waiting for us to give them some reason to accuse us of dishonesty. So this should make us all step back and think very carefully about how we go about stewarding the Lord's money here at the church as well as in our workplaces. Paul previously introduced the renowned brother who was to accompany Titus and he lifted his credentials. as being well known for the things of the gospel, as well as being appointed by the churches. And next, he introduces a second brother who was to accompany Titus. In verse 22, so Paul's commendation of the second brother in verse 22, he says, we have sent with them our brother. So here's another brother whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. We know that This brother is added to the other brother in Titus by the phrase, verse 22, we have sent with them, them referring back to Titus and the brother who had already previously been mentioned. So the beginning of this verse introduces that second member of the delegation sent along with Titus to the Corinthians. And he also, as you notice, is not named, right? But he does have certain credentials which qualified him to be a messenger of the churches, as later stated in verse twenty three. So what are the credentials for this brother? Well, first, he was often tested, Paul says. He was often tested and he wasn't only often tested, he was found to be diligent or zealous through those testings that Paul observed. He found him to demonstrate diligence or zeal. on multiple occasions in response to these tests. And it's likely that the tests that Paul had observed this second brother diligent in were connected to monetary issues. And we don't know that for a fact, but that's a likely possibility. And in addition to these credentials, he had great confidence in the Corinthians. So third, he not only was tested often. He not only was found to be diligent and zealous, but he had great confidence in the Corinthians. He says, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. So somewhere along the way, this brother had come into contact with the Corinthians or heard about their growth and their enthusiasm for this collection for the saints in Jerusalem and his eagerness and enthusiasm for the Corinthians and what motivated his confidence toward the Corinthians. And this had increased so that he demonstrated great confidence in the Corinthians to Paul, and Paul is able to communicate that to the Corinthians. So it's for these reasons that Harris says, Paul is hinting that the Corinthians had no reason to fear the delegates, but every reason to show them warm love, as we're gonna see in verse 24. The collection at Corinth had yet to be completed at the time of writing this epistle. So Paul wanted the Corinthians to have full confidence that their financial resources were going to something trustworthy, that their financial resources were going to men who were men of integrity, who were men of the gospel, and who were men who were well-recommended by the churches in the area. And that's a good example for us, Paula, too, because sometimes we see Christian causes asking for money for certain things, whether it's sending money to an orphan across the seas or whether it's sending money to a local outreach, whether it's... I'm trying to think of what those things are called. It's slipping my mind right now. Gospel missions, local gospel missions down in the city. I don't think that's the official name. I'm still, the name is escaping me right now. Rescue missions. Thank you. Yes, that's what I'm looking for. Maybe there's a local rescue mission and they've approached your church about contributing to their ministry. Which all of these things that are going to the advancement of the gospel are great, but we have to keep in mind What kinds of accountability, what kinds of careful, intentional, practical checks and balances have been put in place to ensure the integrity of the funds and the distribution of these things. So this morning, finally, Paul reminds the Corinthians in verse 23 who it is that made up the delegation sent to collect the money for the Jerusalemites and why they could be trusted. We need to know. what our money's going towards if we're giving to the church for a special collection or just regularly as a tithes and offerings. That's why we, as a church, keep each other up to date on what the Lord's money is being used for. We also have to ask these kinds of questions when we're giving money to other Christian organizations, knowing why and understanding why we can trust that our financial resources are going to be used by men of integrity and for righteous purposes. So finally, we have Paul's summary of the delegates, their credentials, and conclusion. Let's read verse 23. Paul says, As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. So a summary of the delegation being sent to Corinth, and a summary as well of their credentials. Titus is the first one mentioned here. And he is referred to by Paul as his partner and fellow worker. These are very important titles because they indicate that Paul and Titus were in agreement together doing the Lord's work. Titus was not contradicting this collection for the needy believers in Jerusalem. He was as eager about this as Paul was. He was eager to see the needy saints in Jerusalem cared for through the collection of the churches. And so they were working together. They were partners and they were fellow workers. But just like Paul had to be cautious about his personal involvement in the collection at Corinth, He also had to be careful about those he sent in the delegation so that no questionable issues would arise, which is why he's listing their credentials, why these men can be trusted. But next he lists off the brethren or our brethren, as it says in verse 23. We find another description of the delegation here of the brethren followed by their two credentials. They are our brethren, the ones mentioned in verses 18 and 22. And second, they are the messengers of the churches and a glory to Christ. So he reminds them of the brethren who had previously been mentioned in verses 18, the one renowned among the churches because of the things of the gospel, who had been appointed by the churches. And then this one from verse 22, who had often been tested and been found to be diligent or zealous in many things. And second, that he reminds them that these brethren are messengers of the churches and a glory to Christ. What is the significance of being a messenger of the church? Can just anybody be a messenger of the church? Thinking about yourself, would you be biblically qualified to be sent out as a messenger of the church? This church? The Greek word translated as messenger here is apostolos. And the reason I give you what that word is, is because it should sound like an English word that we're familiar with, which is apostle. However, Paul's not saying that these were apostles as Paul was an apostle directly commissioned by Jesus Christ to the gospel ministry. Rather, these men, this word is being used in the general sense as just messengers. They were appointed, not directly by Christ, but by the churches. And actually, more accurately, only one of these brothers, it's said in this context, was appointed by the churches, and that is the first brother of verse 18. I mean, verse, correct, nope, verse 19. At the beginning, it says, and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches. Verse 22 does not give us any indication that the second brother was appointed by the churches, but it does give us credentials of his integrity by Paul's personal testimony. And then if you, like me, are asking questions about this text, your next question might be, so who are the churches that Paul is talking about here? Well, I don't think we can be dogmatic about what churches appointed the first brother to accompany Titus to Corinth for the administration of the abundant financial collection for the Jerusalemites. But from our context, I do believe it's likely that he was appointed by the Macedonian churches, since it was the Macedonian believers who not only offered their money for the collection, but themselves to the service of the Lord. So jump back to verse 5 of chapter 8. Verse five of chapter eight, Paul says, and this not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. So they gave of themselves in addition to their financial resources. And if you're not convinced that this is the churches of Macedonia, we can jump back to verse one where Paul says, now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God, which has been given in the churches of Macedonia. So I do think it's very likely that since the antecedent to this occurrence of the churches is in verse one referring to the churches of Macedonia, then it is most likely that the churches here in our text for this morning is also referring to the churches of Macedonia as well. But not only were they messengers of the churches, but they were a glory to Christ. And this phrase, as well as the things of the gospel we looked at earlier, could have some possible different interpretations or meanings here. But Harris offers some of these for us to consider. They were a glory to Christ either by, number one, and I'm not sure if you have this on your outline or not, They were a glory to Christ either by their exemplary lives and service or because they were trophies of Christ's saving grace. So number one, they were a glory to Christ either by their exemplary lives and service or because they were trophies of Christ's saving grace, or in that they were an embodiment or worthy reflection of Christ's glory. Or number three, in that they were men in whom Christ is glorified for or in that they promoted Christ's glory. I think we would all agree that those are biblical, biblical reasons that they were a glory to Christ. So those are just some possibilities there. But finally, let's look at verse 24. He says, therefore, because of all these things that I've just said to you openly before the churches, show them the proof referring to the Titus and the brothers. Show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you. So we have proof of Corinthian love. Now, in the Greek, the words for show and prove sound and are spelled very similarly. So the Greek words for show and prove sound and are spelled very similarly, which indicates to us a play on words. So since the delegation of godly, eager brethren were going to Corinth, Paul urged the Corinthians to outwardly evidence their love for the believers. And this would be manifested, this would be demonstrated by showing them their love by giving to this collection. Paul also urged them to live up to the boasting he had apparently been doing among the brethren prior to their departure. So how do you think the Corinthians were supposed to show the proof of their love. And we just answered that question by giving freely and generously to the collection. But how were they to give openly before the churches? Look at verse 24. Therefore, openly before the churches, show them the proof of love. It's my understanding that they would show this by giving in the presence of these two brothers, most likely from the Macedonian churches. And also that this news of their sacrificial joyful giving would spread through all the other churches. So in this way, they were giving openly or in the face of the churches. And they would be modeling the fact that they were truly disciples of Jesus Christ, as John 13 tells us in verse 34, Jesus says, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. even as I have loved you, so that you also love one another. By this, by your love for one another, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." So if they showed their love through the sacrificial joyful giving to this collection, openly before the churches in the presence of these brothers, they would show that they truly are disciples of Jesus Christ and that their love for other believers is genuine. MacArthur says that a loving church is a generous church and the Corinthians generous love would validate Paul's boasting about the works of Christ in them. And that's what Paul had hoped. So, Lord willing, you have been struck with a tremendous responsibility this morning we have as a church, not only to steward the Lord's money here, with integrity, but also to make sure that those Christian ministries, missions, agencies, etc. that we are giving to are also practicing stewardship with integrity. Wiersbe has a simple quote here. He says, grace giving is not foolish giving. As we seek to practice the grace of giving in our lives modeled perfectly by Jesus Christ, we need to practice that wisely and biblically. The whole goal of this collection for the believers in Jerusalem was the glory of God. So when we lose sight of the glory of God and the stewardship of church finances or of our personal finances, we endanger the church and our families to use money in a way that dishonors God and discredits the gospel ministry and the sight of those around us. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the example of stewardship with integrity. that Paul set for us. We thank you for Jesus' example, ultimately the grace of giving. And I pray that we would all be encouraged to be wise with our dealings with your money and your people's money, as well as where we are sending our money to. We pray these things in Christ's name. Amen.