The Fingerprints of God 7: How To Be Generous - 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

The Fingerprints of God 8: What Your Money Can Really Do - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

In the downtown, there has been a huge increase in wealth over 20 years, and a growing separation between those who have wealth and the poor. You would think people would be doing better, but that is not what the studies show. What has also increased is credit card debt and household debt. So even though people have more money coming in, their indebtedness has increased more. What has almost disappeared is the idea of charitable giving or generosity, which is odd because usually we think that people who have more give more. That is not at all the case. Many of those who have a lot give nothing and are swimming under great debt, to the point that they are very fearful. Today I want to make a pitch for another use of money. It is what we see in Scripture, and it is fair game to talk openly about it because Scripture talks about it. I want to talk about what your money can really do. Extra reading: Genesis 14:17-24 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 7: How To Be Generous - 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

We are a very style-conscious generation, and especially a style-conscious city. I grew up in the rural areas of Ontario. That was not the case. When I moved to the city, I became quite aware that wearing clothes becomes the fine art of making a statement. As I look at the passage I want to speak from, there is a style that accompanies the follower of Jesus. I do not mean clothing. I mean there is a style of life that accompanies the Christ follower, and that is called generosity. I want to talk about that from 2 Corinthians 8, in our sermon series, as we go through the book of 2 Corinthians, called "The Fingerprints of God". Extra reading: Ruth 2:1-16 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 6: A Precious Gift You Cannot Buy in the Store - 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

If you were to look up the word "comfort" on your phone and see what kinds of images come up, all kinds of things appear: chocolate cake, cups of coffee, some beautiful getaway, maybe a really soft bed. Some pets show up too. Difficult times come to all of us, so we look for comfort, and the question is always where to find it and how to access it. Much as we would like chocolate cake or a trip to the mall to comfort us, not all of these things are as effective as we would like. But God does comfort us, and that is what I want to talk about here today. God's comfort goes deeper. It touches the soul. It goes deep inside, so fear loses its grip and doubt blows off to the side. Loss becomes less painful. Loss becomes manageable. The comfort of God is a remarkable thing, and the Scriptures talk a lot about it. But the question here is how to access God's comfort. Today's sermon is called "A Precious Gift You Can't Buy in the Store," and I am really talking about the comfort of God. Extra reading: Psalm 133 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 5: Being Totally Given to God and Why it Matters - 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

The Alliance began in Toronto 140 years ago and then thrived there from about 1885 to 1915. Towards 1920, though, the Alliance downtown was imploding, all along University Avenue and Parkdale, where there had been powerful ministries. The Alliance moved north and east and west and to the rest of the world, and left the downtown vacant, until our church came as a church plant under First Alliance, clawing our way back into the downtown. It is not entirely clear why the Alliance imploded. But I do know what made them effective in those early years. They pursued it. It is the word consecration. I want to speak about that today from 2 Corinthians 6. Consecration is a word we don't use, but I want to hang on to it because of the way it anchors us in history. They had consecration meetings. Meetings just to give themselves to God. They had consecration weekends. Which is why our family of churches changed the city. The president of the Alliance was the mayor and Toronto came to be known as "Toronto the Good." But I want to come back to consecration, being totally given to God. Extra reading: Isaiah 52:1-12 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 4 - Made for More - 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

You are made for more. That is a big theme in the Bible. Everybody is made for more. There are a lot of reminders in life that show we are made for more than anything that we experience. There is no desire that we have here on Earth that, if we were to pursue it, in the end would not still leave us longing for more. Those who have the most in life are not the most satisfied. Sometimes it is those people who have nothing that are truly satisfied. Those who climb the highest heights, those who go after the biggest experiences, those who see the greatest sights on planet Earth one after the other, and have the resources to chase them all down, in the end come back still longing for more. We are made for more. I am in 2 Corinthians 4 today. We are walking through 2 Corinthians, and the theme is the fingerprints of God. One of these fingerprints that God stamps upon people, is that he helps us see we are made for more. He wants us to understand that and to pursue him. Extra reading: Psalm 139:13-18 Preacher: Bill Dyck