The Goldilocks Principle - Paul Motivates the Corinthians to Give to the Collection for Jerusalem

An audio file (only) of my sermon on 2 Corinthians 8.7-15. In this epistle Paul is trying to get the Corinthians to follow through with their promise and desire to give the the collection for the persecuted Christians in Jerusalem. Essentially he is writing a memorial -- a written reminder of a decision another group has made and encouragement that they follow through with it. What is interesting is the fact that Paul neither commands the Corinthians to give nor does he advocate their poverty. Paul thinks giving should not be too much nor too little. And when he cites Exodus 16:18 Paul suggests a fair balance can be achieved through generosity, without an egalitarian rule that defines what each individual's surplus wealth amounts to.