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Main Idea
Generosity is evidence of gospel transformation.
My brother-in-law once told me the secret to being wealthy as he pointed out the shady way repairs had been done to his house, which was previously owned by a wealthy member of their family. As he pointed out the various ways things had been rigged and done in the cheapest way possible, he dispensed this pearl of wisdom that was given to him: Don’t spend any money. Of course, he knew this was bogus advice since he was dealing with the repairs of shoddy work, but it’s not too far from the way many people think.
Unfortunately, the wisdom of the world tells you to hold on to what you have, and if you want to be wealthy, you need to hoard your money. Conventional wisdom will tell you to look after #1 and pour all of your time and attention into making sure that you have all that you need and want. Make sure you have the house that you want, the car that will turn heads, the clothing that will best communicate your unique personality, and the newest technology that will keep you connected to all your digital friends. Then, if there is anything left that falls outside of those things, then perhaps you can consider charitable giving. Isn’t that what every commercial today is telling you?
The unfortunate reality of living selfishly in that way is that it has an ugly underbelly. Focusing only on yourself leads to a host of nasty things like:
• envy
• strife
• jealousy
• lust
• pride
But, as scripture usually does, it turns conventional wisdom on its head. Instead of hoarding your wealth, God tells us that it is better to give it away freely. Instead of pursuing wealth, we should find ways to bless God’s people with it. And, in doing so, we will be blessed and cared for by our Heavenly Father. The drumbeat of scripture is to be outwardly focused.
Generosity, then, is a natural deterrent to those life-draining realities. Instead of eroding your inner being, it fills you with things like:
• compassion
• love
• joy
• and trust in a God who provides for His people.
My goal for today is not to talk about money and giving to the church. Rather, it is for us to see the biblical heart behind generosity. If we don’t start there, we can easily become legalistic in our giving, or we can seem greedy by persuading you to give to us as a church. If I am not careful, I can make fundraising the focal point of generosity instead of it being a primary indicator that we have been redeemed by a generous God. My goal is for a heart change that happens in light of biblical truth.
Today, we will look at a very simple logic, that looks like this. If God is generous in His nature, and we are made in His image, then our nature should be one of generosity.
Outline & Passage
I – God’s generous nature
II – Our generous nature
2 Corinthians 9:6–11 (ESV)
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
I – God’s Generous Nature
But, before we can see what generosity looks like in our own lives, we need to see it in the heart of God.
1. Because God made all things, He owns all things
Psalm 24:1 ESV
1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.
Psalm 50:10 (ESV)
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
This means that anything you and I possess is only ours by delegation. Instead of owners, we should view ourselves as stewards of God’s possessions. And if all things are His, then we should be in close enough communication with Him to use His things as He wants them to be used.
2. God’s Nature Shown Through the Prodigal Son’s Father
We can also glean a lot from how Jesus represents the Father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. As you know, the younger son demanded that his father give him his inheritance while he was still alive and then wasted it all on sinful living. Essentially, the son was communicating to his father that he considers him dead already and wants the benefit of his possessions, not his relationship. That’s pretty heartbreaking, aside from losing half of your stuff. I’m sure many of us can see the deep wounds this act of rebellion and selfishness would have inflicted on a loving father.
But, seeing that his son was returning, we see this:
Luke 15:20–24 ESV
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
The Father reveals himself in this parable to be abundantly gracious in the love, compassion, and forgiveness he gives to his wayward son. This lines up perfectly with the way God describes Himself to Moses in the book of Exodus:
Exodus 34:6 (ESV)
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
So this is the God we serve – a compassionate, loving, and gracious God who created a world for us to live in and made us in His image so that we can have the capacity and awareness to enjoy His love and grace. That is why we call it joyful generosity because that is the natural byproduct of being generous. It’s the air of Eden: the joyful giving of love and self to God and God to us.
But, we also see how our sin has broken that fellowship. It doesn’t mean that God has stopped being loving and generous toward us, but it does mean that our relationship has been affected by what we have done. So what did God do? He continued to pour out his grace by giving Himself as payment for our sin. It is through this act of complete selflessness that we see the perfect corporation between the Father and the Son in John 3:16. First, we God’s love for us in the way that He gave His only Son. It was the will of the Father to offer the Son as payment for our transgression.
That leads us to a third way we see God’s generous nature. We see it in God the Son.
3. The Gracious Offer of Salvation in Jesus
As we have discussed at length before, we know that Jesus stepped away from the majesty and riches of heaven to become a servant. A servant with no riches of his own or even a place to lay his head.
2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV
9 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.
And it is in the love and generosity of Jesus coming to earth that we see the ultimate display of His generosity in the way he gave His life – an innocent and perfect life – for our redemption. Consider Paul’s words in Ephesians:
Ephesians 1:7 ESV
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Because Jesus gave Himself over to death as a payment for our sin, we can be declared not guilty. Our sins are removed, and God’s wrath against our sin has been satisfied! It is because of His generous love that we can live a life that reflects that heart of generosity and love. By Jesus’ gift of redemption, we are spiritually rich and are blessed in Him with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!
Now that we see God’s attributes, and we know we are made in His image, we can now see how that plays out in our own life.
II – Our Generous Nature
Our giving should be a joyful expression of all that God has given us. Now that we see the glorious display of generosity in Him, our generosity should be but a humble reflection of His.
1. A Heart that Mirrors God’s Heart
If we are image-bearers, we will bear the image of God’s generosity.
If we are to fulfill The Great Commandment, we are to love God by reflecting His attributes to the best of our ability and to love others with the love of Jesus.
1 John 3:16–18 ESV
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
What good do riches give us if we don’t use what we have to help each other? John’s implication is that this person doesn’t comprehend or even posses love. God’s love is not just talk. It’s actionable.
Consider also the Macedonian church’s attitude toward giving:
2 Corinthians 8:1–5 ESV
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
Their focus wasn’t on themselves. They were already poor, and yet, they gave generously to Paul’s ministry because of their love for God and love for the saints. It’s not about the dollar amount. It’s about the heart. Their joy and poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity. Can I challenge us to be like the Macedonian church? What do you have, as little as it may be, to use for the building of God’s Kingdom?
2. Generosity Compels You to Put Other’s Needs Before Your Own
Acts 4:32–34 (ESV)
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.
How many times have we pointed out the sacrificial nature of the 1st Century Church? Do we read how the Apostles commanded that everyone who had excess give it away? Of course not. That would be a model of socialism. Instead, we see their generosity was a posture of the heart. They voluntarily sold what they had and gave to others because they wanted to. They were consistently filled with the Holy Spirit and we can see a core manifestation of that way of living was being generous. They were living out a value that is central to the God that was indwelling them.
3. Generosity Produces Faith in God’s Provision
Let’s look at another well-known passage of scripture.
Mark 12:41–44 ESV
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
How often do we draw a direct line from a monetary amount of money to God’s blessing? If we are trapped in the mentality of giving to get, then this passage of scripture should straighten us out. The rich people in this story give out of their wealth. Think about it. How much is a person making $500,000 really sacrificing by tithing 10%? Is that promoting a generous heart? That was Jesus’ point. They give out of their existing abundance, so even after they give, they can still put their trust in their remaining wealth. This is just another picture of a transaction made out of obligation.
In stark contrast, Jesus praises the widow who put in two little coins, because that was all she had, saying she gave more than the wealthy people who stuffed the giving box with cash. Why? Because she gave out of a devoted heart, trusting that her needs would still be met.
Have you ever thought about your times of lack as opportunities to trust in God’s provision?
If you really want to be free to give without anxiety or walk through a time of financial dryness without fear or dread, then read these words with me:
Matthew 6:25–33 ESV
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Notice that I haven’t once discussed tithing. You can tithe 10% to the church and still not be a generous person. Giving 10% to the church because the Bible says to is a very transactional way of giving and doesn’t at all have to engage the heart. That type of person can easily put a check in the offering plate on Sunday morning and not think twice about stopping to help the person with a flat tire on the side of the road on their way to lunch after the service.
Generosity, on the other hand, is purely a motivation from the heart, specifically a redeemed heart. It comes from a place of humility that understands that God has freely given us all that we have, and we can freely give to others in need just as He did for us.
Generosity is a condition of the heart and a way of living. That is why it is evidence of gospel transformation.
4. Generosity is an Act of Worship
Lastly, our acts of generosity are also acts of worship.
Matthew 26:6–13 ESV
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Did you know that this jar of ointment cost nearly a year’s wages? What is a standard yearly wage today, maybe $50,000? Could you imagine taking that stack of bills and giving it away? That is essentially what this woman did! Why? Because she valued her relationship with Jesus much more than any amount of money that jar could give her. It was her act of worship to her King.
Whether we give freely of our money, our time, our resources, our home, the food on our table, or any other thing God has given us to steward, may it be used with an open hand to help others and honor our great God.
If you don’t remember anything else, remember this verse and burn it into your memory, because it is a great summary of everything we have just learned:
Romans 11:36 ESV
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.