Not enough to be generous
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Acts 20:35 (ESV)
... ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
How to unpack this? After all - Easy to give if you god - If you think tithing message - it’s not , don’t run
always feel there is never enough? I think, deep down, everyone WANTS to be generous.
**Here hold this** (Bag of money)
In our Heart we might say “If I have a million dollars...” “When I just get this done...”
problem: Wealth is always circumstantial - explain;
Half the World - live on under $5.50 a day.
If you have $2,200 of assets - Top 50% of wealth in world.
earned $25,000 or more = top 10%
earn $50K or more = 1% income earners.
We’re not poor, we have different priorities.
Title: You can’t spend what’s not yours
My hope - Generosity is not just something we preach but something we practice.
Sermon Series: Allmighty and all of us;
This week: We will lead the way in being ridiculously generous and wise in stewardship.
We believe it is more blessed to give than to receive. We value the Tithe, we trust the Provider over the provision.
- I want to speak about being Ridiculously generous - Wise in stewardship - What does that mean?
**prayer**
Where we going - Talk about Stewardship - How to align with God’s heart.
What do we need to know?
Psalm 24:1 (ESV)
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
first thing - God is the owner. If God owns everything - We own nothing - Including own life -
If God is owner - no other owners.
If we can understand and start with this - Can start to understand how to operate in God’s kingdom -
Most people think they own, what they don’t own just because they have it.
I’m business owner - Let’s talk business terms.
I own my business | Caio manages it | I built it, invested into it, handed over to Caio to manage it the way I want it to be managed.
Mankind - Manages what God owns cause God owns it all
God created Man to steward his creation and gave us dominion over His creation;
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
I love what Paul says;
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
What do you have that you have not recieved from God? so why you braggin?
Everything we have | borrowed from the owner.
God made adam and Eve - Gave over the management to them.
You have been given the responsability to manage the Kings resources.
Not just manage | make Fruitful - Adam and Eve - Be fruitful, not just making babies - God has a purpose, for everything he has asked you to hold.
If we are going to manage kings resources effectively | Need to understand heart of the king.
You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
We have been created to be generous.
However - Sometimes, we aint very good managers.
God has given ability to mess up what he has given us.
**Do you own your house? No | Bank does - Can mess house, bank won’t take off you.
God has given you freedom to mess up what he has given you - However always causes a conflict.
Maccas Manager made huge burger.
If you are opposed to owner, what you think you own is in trouble
not always obvious - Adam and Eve - When blew it, lost everything - they where fearful, shame | arguements | Conflict
When we look to our provision, and think not enoguh | Instead of Provider and understand who he is - We start to get bound by fear - Shame - Want.
Who wants to be a good manager?
So what do we need to do, so that we can allign our hearts with God in this area.
Give up ownership, and invite God into the situation
Caio asked me to look over a campaign
Some of us haven’t asked God to look over anything.
Suffering in our budgets, haven’t prayed
Struggling in relationship - God’s not there
Kids playing up, not looking to God for parenting
God knows how he wants you to steward what He has given you - not sideline coach | Intimate part of it.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
2. Deny our Greed - Feed our Generosity
We are inheritly selfish. ok i’ll prove it. Be honest
when get to this screen *book a seat* - Do you book the window seat (hands up) ailse seat (hands up) (Middle seat)?
who would give up seat for a middle seat?
We have a greedy nature - live in culture “Gratify yourself” - However, Jesus says; deny yourself,
Rather than being greedy, Would love to see shift to being ridiculously generous;
All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
We want to give without holding back - Every time we have opportunity to ether be greedy ,or be generous, Choose - Generous. Money, Time, Resources. deny greed, feed generous
3. Heart shift from “Not enough” to “More than enough”
I grew up with this - “Money doesn’t grow on trees” “There’s not enough” |
“Not enough” is not an amount - it’s a stronghold from the enemy.
We serve abundant God | He wants to meet needs of people through us.
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
What? Basket story - Grain - overflowing - Why? because you’ve been a good steward with what you’ve had - He is in the business of blessing, and he wants to bless others through you.
Danny - water jug. Donuts
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Not being generous is not being a wise steward - Not being generous directly reflects who you believe God to be.
We see time and time again in bible - If you store, you will be left wanting but if you pour, if generous - lack nothing
Let’s pour, instead of store.
4. When we first get, we first give
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
When it comes to being generous - We often think it needs to come from what we can spare, or what’s left over.
**I’ll tithe when I have some spare money
**I’ll serve in church when my schedule calms down
**I’ll cut mrs browns lawns when I have a spare 15 minutes
God doesn’t want your giving to be something you do when you have “Spare” - God wants you to trust him with Firsts -
That’s why Tithing = test of your heart - it’s the first 10% of your last financial increase - It has to be first for it to be a tithe.
He wants you to honour him with first Breath | First day |
Schedule your time in for Him first - and everything else around him.
5. You already have everything that you need
Lazarus rose again - cooked Jesus dinner - Mary from bethany was there - broke perfume over Jesus - Disciples said
There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
But Jesus said;
She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
Question: who are you in story? Did Jesus raise you from dead and you’re doing just enough - Cooked him Dinner?
Disciples, close to Jesus still shocked?
Looking at generosity of people and seeing what “practical things” that it could be spent on?
Or are you Mary? Who understands what has been done for her…who gave, and did not hold back
Whereever you are, not condem - Convict - Let’s be like Mary, who gave everything - did not hold back
not because we want ferrari | because we understand what God has done for us, and who He is.
Close and inspo
Close and inspo
There’s nothing that you don’t already have, that you need - But God is giving you opportunity to partner with Him to further His Kingdom and refine your heart to reflect His -
What an invitation.
What will happen?
Might break something in you - oil broke. might have to sacrifice stuff flesh holding onti.
Might see radical shift in the way you steward God’s resources.
But…You will also recieve blessings of God - Start to align your heart, with the heart of God - Fear or Lack might leave you.
So let’s give up our ownership
deny our greed - feed our generosity
shift from “not enough” to knowing, “more than enough
When we first get, lets look to first give
let’s realise we have everything that we need.
When God sitting in Heaven - Looking down at sinners who hated him - Didn’t check to see if he had a spare pardon, or spare blessing, or even a spare son. No
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
He gave everything -Sent perfect Son - To take our penalty for Sin away in the HOPE that He might recieve you.
Because generous is who God is.
The wisest thing you can do when stewarding what God has given you, is to be ridiculously generous to all those around you, for your Good, and for God’s glory.
So Church, what are we going to do?
We as a church are going to lead the way in be ridicuously generous and wise stewards - Why? Because God gave everything for us, and so we will give everything for him.
*Prayer*