The Heart of Generosity
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13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”
15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.
17 So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.
19 Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’
20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
21 This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
22 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26 So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!
29 And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.
30 For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you.
32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
PRAY
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Being the Church, part 4
Statement on Member Responsibilities:
[Members] are entreated: c. To support the financial program of the church with systematic, proportionate giving; 1 Cor. 16:2.
I think the statement is pretty straightforward, isn’t it? The expectation is that those who are part of this local church will participate financially in the ministry of the church. Notice what it does not say - how much should each member give? Ultimately that is between you and God. But that every believer should be giving something to the church is clear in this statement and in Scripture. Let’s examine the corresponding verse here, 1 Corinthians 16:2.
2 On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a portion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed.
Observations
Paul assumes his readers are meeting on the first day of every week (Sunday)
Paul commands each believer to give (BSB and other translations smooth it out, but it is a command in Greek - “let each one give” or “each person must give”; this means that if we give nothing, we are living in disobedience)
The amount or even proportion of each person’s gift is not mentioned - He does not say you must give 5% or 10% or 20% or any specific amount or proportion - he leaves it open to the choice of each individual how much to give. This tells us that our giving should be voluntary, not under compulsion, consistent with what he tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.”
This particular offering that Paul was coming to receive was being taken up for believers in Jerusalem who were going through a famine - a difficult time financially; this shows us that at least some of our giving as a church and as individuals should be directed toward the poor, especially toward believers who are going through difficult times. This is consistent with the principle from Deuteronomy 15:14, where God instructs the Israelites to share their resources with poor Israelites around them. He says, “You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
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One of the most difficult things about speaking on the subject of giving and generosity is that the Scripture has so much to say about it, and that makes it difficult to narrow down the focus. The Bible speaks to us a lot about our money, possessions, and other resources and how we steward those things well for the glory of God and the good of His people.
I think another reason that it is difficult to preach about giving is that money and possessions are too close to our hearts. The way that we think and feel talk about money and the ways that we use money tell us about our heart.
Where is your heart? Is your heart set on this world or on the next? Is your heart set on God or on yourself? The ways that we think, feel, talk, and act in regard to finances will show a great deal about the condition of our heart and what we value most.
The reason we may feel uncomfortable talking about money is that it has become an idol to us. Certainly money itself is not evil, but the love of money leads to all kinds of evil.
A heart that values money above God will lead you to do all kinds of bad things. But a heart that values God above money will lead you to be generous.
The Generous Heart
The Generous Heart Does Not Store up Wealth in This World (v. 13-21)
13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”
15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.
17 So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.
19 Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’
20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
21 This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
We must guard ourselves against greed and envy. (v. 15)
15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Jesus tells us to watch out against greed.
Greed can be either desiring what someone else has (covetousness) or simply loving money and possessions. This is the opposite of contentment - being grateful for the things God has given us. And you will not be generous if you are not content.
6 Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
9 Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Greed and the desire for personally accumulating wealth are the reason that some people walk away from Jesus Christ. The rich young ruler couldn’t bear the thought of parting with his wealth, so he refused to follow Jesus. Judas loved money more than he loved Jesus, and so he betrayed Jesus and perished in his sin.
This is why Jesus says watch out! The love of money is a deadly trap. Do not fall into it!
We must remember that life isn’t really about wealth and possessions. (v. 15)
15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Life isn’t all about working, making money, and having lots of things. Certainly we need money to live and do the things God has called us to do. But if we center our lives on money and possessions, we will miss the purpose for which God created us. God created us to live in relationship with Him and other people and to represent Him to the world; we will miss this and ultimately be unsatisfied if we pursue riches.
We must not trust in our wealth and possessions. (v. 18-19)
18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.
19 Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’
In this parable, the man’s trust is in his possessions that he has accumulated. But we are reminded many times in Scripture and in life that wealth is fleeting - it can quickly disappear (stock market crash, health crisis, loss of a job, having it stolen from us, etc.).
17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
We also are not guaranteed our next breath or another day of life. So if we live for our future in this life, we may be living for something that is not even real.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”
14 You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
We must beware the foolishness of accumulating earthly wealth. (v. 20)
20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
God calls this man a fool. It is foolish to trust in riches and accumulate worldly wealth. It is not wise to live for material possessions.
We must treasure God rather than worldly wealth. (v. 21)
21 This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
The conclusion of Jesus’s parable is that true wisdom values God above money and possessions. A heart that loves and values God will not be in love with this world and its possessions. Jesus says something similar in Matthew 6:24
24 No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
You can either love God or love money. You can set your heart on God or on material wealth. You cannot love both.
So if there is in your heart even the faintest love of money, kill it. Love of money has no place in the life of a believer. But the temptation is still there sometimes, isn’t it. We must fight this temptation, and seek to love God above all else, so that we will not be drawn away by the deceitfulness of riches.
The Generous Heart Rests in the Goodness of God (v. 22-30)
22 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26 So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!
29 And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.
30 For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
A lack of generosity in our lives springs from a lack of trust in the goodness of God. If I am stingy and hoard the money and possessions I have instead of being generous toward God and others, I am showing by my actions that I do not really believe that God is good, or at least I don’t believe He has been good enough toward me.
Generosity on the other hand demonstrates real faith in the sovereignty and goodness of God. When I am generous, I’m showing that I trust that God is in control of providing everything I need and that He genuinely loves me and cares more about me than I do about myself.
In other words, our generosity in giving is a real test of our faith. If we cling to the things we have, that shows that our faith is small or even nonexistent. But if we freely give, it demonstrates a true heart of trust in God.
Jesus said in v. 24
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!
God cares about the birds! If God cares enough about birds to make sure they have what they need, don’t you think He will do the same for you? You are created in His image! How much more valuable are you than the birds?!
27 Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!
Not only does God care for the birds, He even takes care of the grass. He’s the one who provides rain and sunshine for grass and flowers and plants and trees. If God cares enough to take care of the grass, don’t you think He’ll take care of you?!
O you of little faith!
When we focus on riches in this life, we are demonstrating a lack of faith in God.
We must come humbly to Jesus like His disciples did and plead, “Increase our faith.”
When we pursue worldly wealth we are acting like unbelievers.
30 For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
The Generous Heart Values God and His Priorities Above All (v. 31-34)
31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you.
32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Because of the hope of eternal life and the promises of eternal joy with Christ, Christians ought to be the most generous people in the world. The Father has been pleased to make us partakers of His eternal kingdom. Why would we not give up anything and everything in this life to serve Him and His purposes. He has been so good and kind to us. Generosity flows from a heart that recognizes the grace and goodness of God in our lives.
If your hope is in heaven, make sure your fullest bank account is there too. Don’t spend all your time building your earthly wealth when your time here is so short. Lay up treasures in heaven that will last forever by being generous toward God and others.
Jesus specifically mentions generosity toward the poor in v. 33, which is one of the three areas of giving encouraged for believers in the NT.
And in v. 34 his conclusion is this: what you do with money reveals where your heart is. And I think the question God would have us ask ourselves is this: Is your heart set on earth or on heaven? Are you accumulating earthly possessions or heavenly treasure? Do you love money or do you love God? You must choose between the two, and it is a choice with eternal consequences.
Choose God. Love Him. Pursue Him. Value Him instead of earthly riches. And demonstrate that in the way you use the money He has entrusted to you.
Three Spheres of Giving
The NT emphasizes three distinct areas of giving, both individually and as a church: the poor, missionaries, and pastors or spiritual leaders.
Giving to the Poor
13 Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
17 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
If God has been gracious to us and has met all our needs, we ought to share with others who are in need.
Supporting Missionary Efforts
15 And as you Philippians know, in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church but you partnered with me in the matter of giving and receiving.
16 For even while I was in Thessalonica, you provided for my needs again and again.
5 Beloved, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, and especially since they are strangers to you.
6 They have testified to the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.
7 For they went out on behalf of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
We have the opportunity to serve in God’s global purpose of building His Kingdom through the spread of the gospel by supporting those who go where we can’t go and do what we can’t do.
Providing for Spiritual Leaders
6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.
14 In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
It is in the best interest of the church to take good care of its spiritual leaders so that they can dedicate themselves to the ministry of the Word and to prayer.
Practical Questions:
How Much Should I Give?
I think an even better question is how much should I keep for myself? Jesus tells us this in Luke 21:1-4
1 Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
2 and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
3 “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
4 For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
The fact is that everything that we have comes from God and truly belongs to Him. A generous heart will hold earthly possessions lightly.
The OT pattern of giving was tithes and offering. A tithe was 10% of your income. Offerings were on top of that. I’ve heard it estimated that the overall giving rate in the OT (when you combine tithes, offerings, and other required gifts) was actually closer to 30% of their income.
But within a NT (New Covenant) context, believers are not commanded anywhere regarding the amount or percentage they give. We are urged to give generously and voluntarily, not under compulsion.
But if it’s helpful, I would urge you to consider a tithe (10%) as a good starting place.
Interestingly, the idea of a tithe was already being practiced before God made it a law for Israel. We read in Genesis 14 and again in Hebrews 7 about how Abraham gave a tithe (tenth) of all he had to the mysterious priest-king Melchizedek. This was hundreds of years before the Law of Moses.
So there’s good precedent for using a tithe as a basis for our giving. But I also believe that for most of us, a tithe is too little. For most of us, a tithe is not generous; we are still holding back too much.
Whatever you give is between you and God. But I would urge you, give generously, because God has been generous to you.
How Often Should I Give?
We started with 1 Corinthians 16:2 which speaks of giving on a weekly basis. This was in a context as I understand it when people were generally paid daily or at least more often than most of us are today. I think the principle here is that it should be regular - whether it’s every week, every two weeks, once a month, or however often God lead you to give, give regularly. I usually try to give once a month on the first Sunday of the month, but sometimes I get busy and forget to write the check, so it ends up being the 2nd or 3rd week. We try to give each of our boys $1 to put in the offering each week as well to help them learn the pattern of giving regularly.
Where Should I Give?
The final question I want to address is where to give. Our focus this morning has been mostly in the context of the local church, and I believe this is the primary focus of giving in the NT. However, there are examples in the NT of individuals supporting pastors, missionaries, and giving to the poor.
I would encourage you inasmuch as you are able to do both. Give to the local church. There is joy in working together in ministry and gospel advance. There is joy in working together to meet needs of poorer believers.
But give outside of the church as well. God does not limit us to giving in the local church, and I won’t place this restriction on you either. Certainly the church needs finances to continue to function and to serve God’s kingdom purposes. But there is also joy in personally partnering with missionaries or helping out a poor person or giving wherever God leads you to.
And I would remind you of the words of Paul who reminds us of the words of Jesus:
35 In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Do you believe that?
Application (Bowed Heads)
How is God working in your life this morning?
Maybe today you have come without Christ, and your heart has been convicted of your love for money. If that’s you, I urge you to repent of your sin and turn to Christ. You will find in him greater riches than anything this life has to offer.
Maybe you are holding onto your possessions a little too tightly, and you need to ask God’s forgiveness for not valuing Him and His purposes as you ought to.
Maybe you are already being generous, but God is challenging you to do even more. Or perhaps He’s challenging the motivations of your heart in your giving.
Whatever it is, turn it over to God. Surrender all to Him. Treasure Him above all, because He is the greatest Treasure.
The more you trust Him, the more generous you will be.
PRAY