Generous Giving = Generous Living

Intro

There’s a good reason why so many people are jaded and suspicious when preachers talk about money.  But did you know that Jesus talked about money more than any other subject other than the kingdom of God?  Jesus knew that if his followers didn’t learn to live generously, materialism could very well choke the life out of their faith. Generosity in its purest, simplest, most loving form is a beautiful thing. This sermon series will explore how the beauty of Generosity can change your life, and maybe even your world.

Let me make a bold statement:

Living Generously can change your life and maybe even the world.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Chase, that's not a bold statement!  That's stating the obvious!"  Okay, fair enough.  So why is it so hard for us to figure this out?  Why do we still struggle between living in abundance or scarcity?

Especially when the evidence of how living generously is such a transformative act is so clear and compelling.

For example, there have been multiple studies conducted on the effects of generosity on physical, mental, and emotional health.

Generosity leads to less isolation, less self-criticism, less self-centeredness, more confidence, and a sense of purpose.

Generous people also live longer and happier lives.

And if that wasn't reason enough, let me put it to you like this: We were created to be generous, to live generously.  We were created generous because the One who created all things and created us in the Divine image, is generous beyond measure.

We learn to be stingy.

But even the stingiest among us loves hearing a good generosity story. 

What does it take to live this way all of the time?  What does it take to get to a place where we choose abundance over scarcity?  Well, we're going to find all of this out when we step into our Scripture today: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, with a focus today only on verse 6.

The Apostle Paul is teaching a group of early Christians what it means to respond in gratitude toward what God has done for you in all aspects of your life.  And today I want you to hold on to this one very important thing:

LIVING IN LACK IS NOT TRULY LIVING

Here's our text for today:

2 Corinthians 9:6–15 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 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. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 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. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confe…”

Let me give you just a bit of background on this verse and the context.  The church at Corinth was a diverse group of people from all walks of life, including slaves, freedmen, Gentiles, Jews, rich people, middle class and poor people, men, women... you name it. It was a cosmopolitan city, thoroughly influenced by its allegiance to the Empire and the nationalistic, and also the pagan culture that marked so much of the Roman world. There was a famine in Jerusalem around the time of this writing, and Paul had been working tirelessly to leverage his connections in the churches he'd planted for the purpose of raising an offering for the church at Jerusalem. But despite the agenda (and he's not shy about it), Paul offers up some serious truth about how living generously, choosing abundance over scarcity, and trusting God with our future is an act of serious discipleship. The fact that his teaching was completely in line with the teachings of Jesus, and coming from the same place theologically, socially, emotionally, etc., is not something that can be glossed over here. Okay, let's dig into the text for a bit. I  want to focus on this verse today: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

You know that i like the greek

When Paul says "Whoever sows sparingly, will also reap sparingly." the word that he is using is pheidomenos which means essentially this:  holding back to have enough; tightfisted.

Think about this using the metaphor that Jesus used here... When someone is sowing seed, a tight-fisted approach might save some seed but ultimately it will reduce the chance for a better harvest.

By contrast, Paul also says, "Whoever sows generously will also reap generously." He is using the word eulgiais here, which as you can see is kin to the word eulogize, which has to do with speaking generously about someone who has died.

This word however speaks to a heart's desire to bless others--to live open-handed.  To stick with the metaphor---this is someone who isn't worried about hanging on to seed, and spreads it generously so there's a good harvest.

There's a sense of community embedded in this metaphor.  Do you open up your hands to let go of the seed so there is more at the harvest to share?  Or do you withhold, thinking only of whether you'll have enough?

When we live in a community, we have the chance to be a blessing through our generosity.  And that can only happen when we live openhanded--embracing a life lived in abundance and not scarcity.

When you live openhanded, you are free then to give (and receive) in ways you can't with a tightly closed fist. So how do we break this down in such a way where it makes sense to us in our everyday life?

Living In Scarcity

Jesus' words to the Rich Young Ruler--a challenge to live in abundance that he couldn't meet. What areas of our lives are we living in Scarcity?  Time? Talent? Treasure? How is this affecting us, and shaping our worldview? I struggle with this so much, and for so many different reasons.

Living in Abundance

Mary anointing Jesus' feet---pouring out her future. How willing are we to trust our future to God?

LIVING IN LACK IS NOT TRULY LIVIN

true Generosity--is never reluctant.

Let me ask you a question...

When is Generosity---not generous?

How do we know when what seems like generosity on the surface really isn't generosity at all?

When it's more about the giver---it is selfish.  This looks like someone who does generous things, but expects to be lauded for it, or achieve recognition.

When reciprocation is expected---it is manipulation.  We've all had that person in our life, who seemed generous, but really expected something in return.  They kept a ledger.

When it's controlled---it's about power.  This is where someone acts generously but wants to control how their generosity is received.

And here's the thing y'all---we have all done at least one or more of these things throughout our lives. 

We see it clearly in others, but not often in ourselves.

So where does this come from?  Where do acts of ungenerous generosity originate?

They come from a place of lack or scarcity. 

We talked about this—how living in scarcity leads to a tight-fisted way of moving and being in the world.

They often mask fears and insecurities. 

People will often act in seemingly generous ways for the wrong reasons because they are afraid of trusting, afraid of being vulnerable, afraid of doing it wrong.

But when we finally get that God is never reluctant when it comes to God's generosity... when we finally figure out that we are being held back from living in abundance by our own fears...

We then start to realize that the only way to combat all of those issues is to become generous without reluctance... to be truly generous with no strings attached... to surrender our outcomes.

The one thing that I want us to hold on to today is simply this:

THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF GOD HOLDING BACK.

Let me give you a little more insight into what is going on in this letter from Paul--some insight that might surprise you.

As we mentioned, Paul was writing to all of the "Gentile" churches he'd planted in order to secure a love offering for the church at Jerusalem.

The church in Jerusalem was suffering because of famine in that part of the world, and Paul wanted to show that the churches around the Empire were unified with the church in Jerusalem.

There was a conflict between the groups because of the insistence of some of the Jerusalem bands that Gentiles needed to become Jewish in order to be Christian.

So Paul actually compares the Corinthians with the Macedonians, who were less well off.  He basically says, "The Macedonians gave freely and generously, and they really didn't have that much to give---so what are you going to do Corinthians?"

He also doesn't seem to shy away from a little bit of prosperity gospel as he does it.  Declaring that if they give, they'll receive blessings.  It's hard to parse these things from Paul, to be honest.

But sometimes the text shows us what not to do---even as it speaks truth in other ways.  And to be fair, Paul isn't always the greatest example of forbearance, grace, and inclusivity---in spite of the fact that he was constantly advocating for the inclusion of Gentiles into the Jewish-Christian fold.

What Paul knew, however, was that in the end, living from a place of abundance and practicing radical generosity was the best and truest way to embody Christ's redeeming work through the Resurrection.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion...

The literal translation here speaks to giving "without a grudging heart," and not to give under compulsion.

Now his warning about not giving under compulsion might seem to fly in the face of what Paul does throughout this letter when it comes to his exhortation that the Corinthians give generously to the Jerusalem fund, but we need to dig a bit deeper to see what this means in the first century.

Paul was writing in a particular cultural context where patronage was a way of life.  The rich would fund artists, artisans, scholars, workers--anyone who could provide them with a service.

Their largesse bought them a great deal.  Some people who were on the receiving end of patronage were treated not as employees but as servants.  There was a tremendous imbalance and manipulation in the patronage culture.

Paul was keen to lay out that the gifts the Corinthians were giving were to be given with a willing heart and no strings attached.  They had to surrender the outcome.

What we learn from this passage is a life-changing truth:

Living generously means that we avoid ungenerous generosity through the kind of open-handed surrender that gives with joy, and asks nothing in return.

So how do we figure this out within our own culture?  What are the truths here that we can hold on to in order to help us become truly generous?

Marks of a Truly Generous Person

They know the pie is not finite—there’s always enough pie.  When you live in scarcity, you live believing that the pie will run out at some point.

They trust others—surrender their outcomes.  I used to control my giving because I  only wanted to give to the church when I could direct it.

They dream big dreams. They're not afraid to take a risk that doesn't make a lot of sense in order to make a better world.

They don’t live a ledger-oriented life.  The church member who calculated her hours.

They believe God is generous and loving.  In the end, this is the most important factor.

Every moment when I've trusted the urging of the Holy Spirit... When I've given without compulsion... When I've lived from a place of abundance... God always blows my mind.

Jesus feeding the five thousand---a sign and symbol of God's generosity.  Taking a little and multiplying it in amazing ways to blow our minds.

THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF GOD HOLDING BACK.

let’s talk about the joy of Generosity, and how if joy isn't at the heart of our efforts to be generous---they are not actually generous.

let's talk Psychology for a moment---the Psychology of Giving.  Spoiler alert--- the psychology of giving comes down to joy.

Several years ago, there was a joint study done by the University of Chicago and Northwestern University about the role that joy plays in generosity.  The focus of the study was on a particular psychological phenomenon called Hedonic Adaption.

Hedonic Adaption is what occurs when humans perform a task, a behavior, or an action that brings them joy releases dopamine into their brain, and otherwise creates happy-go-lucky feelings.

Over time even actions that bring people joy produce less and less joy if performed over and over again.  In other words, even if a person enjoys doing something, they will experience diminished happiness over time the more they do it.

The exception to this rule is when the action that is being performed is an act of generosity.

The main part of this experiment was to give the test subjects $5 every day over a period of time with the caveat that they spend it on something each time they received it.

What the researchers discovered was that when the test subjects spent the money on themselves, they reported a decrease in joy.  When they spent the money on others, their joy was not diminished.

In the end, the researchers determined that when the focus was on the outcomes of sharing the money they were given, rather than their own personal experience the test subjects felt more connected, whole, and happy.

In other words, when they acted generously they felt better.  And they also reported a sense of belonging and connection that was more long-lasting than any momentary feelings of joy they may have felt from spending the money on themselves.

So why talk about this in church?  I imagine that some of you might be thinking, "You're teaching us all this so that you can get us to give more."  I get that sentiment.  But that's not why we're talking about this now.

*this is not about what I want from you, this is about what I want for you.*

I want our congregation to learn what it means to Love God and Love Everybody from a place of abundance and generosity.  I want you to find joy in giving--either to our church, your favorite charity, but also to your family and friends.  I want you to find wholeness and joy.

Living generously leads to joy---the kind of joy that isn't easily diminished, the kind of joy that is infectious...

The kind of joy that we forget when we get older... more jaded... more weighed down by the cares of the world... more focused on ourselves...

We need to rediscover the joy of giving, the joy of living generous lives.  And this is what I want us to hang on to today--the one thing that will weave it's way through our entire sermon:

IF GENEROSITY ISN'T JOYFUL, IT ISN'T GENEROSITY

Paul was probably quoting this from memory here.  And he was also hearkening back to the mandate that was given to the Gentile Christians by the Jerusalem leaders when he went there to argue for their inclusion.

One of the main things that the Jerusalem church asked the Gentile churches to do was to "remember the poor."  And because of the plight of the Christians in Jerusalem--due to a famine--Paul is placing them in the category of "the poor."

He wants to church in Jerusalem to see their Gentile counterparts as full members of the Jesus movement---members who do not need to become Jewish in order to be thought of as included.

Paul also wanted the Corinthians to resist the cultural influences of their day, which seemed to honor the kind of generosity that was self-centered, manipulative with the ultimate goal of receiving rewards---either here or in the hereafter.

This is the essential definition of reluctant generosity which isn't generous.

Paul is stating here that there is no genuine joy in reluctance, only calculating self-concern.

In other words, he wanted the Corinthians to push back against the so-called generosity of Roman culture which tended toward materialism, selfishness and was marked by alleged acts of generosity that were more self-aggrandizing than generous.

Good thing we've moved past all of that ancient stuff, am I right?

Paul wanted the Corinthians to get back to basics.  He wanted them to get in touch with the simple, beautiful experience of living from abundance rather than scarcity.

Essentially this is what Paul is trying to say here with this little snippet of a verse:

When we give cheerfully, we are acting out of a pure, beautiful, child-like kind of faith that is selfless and surrendered.  And the result is pure joy.

So what can you and I do to become "cheerful givers?" It all comes down to intentionality.  We have to be intentional when it comes to the kind of generosity that brings real joy---the kind that is devoid of selfish motives and is imbued with childlike faith.

What Can We Do To Be Cheerful Givers?

Have A Plan—make it the first thing you budget. This isn't always easy, especially when you might be staring down a long list of bills, a packed schedule, or a crowded list of priorities.  But if we plan our generosity first---before we plan other things, it creates a sense of joyful purpose that can't be duplicated. Follow Your Money—find ways to be engaged as you give.  Here's what I mean by this:  Supporting organizations, missions, and things that you love and believe in through your financial gifts is an awesome thing... but you need to follow your money and get engaged by giving of your time and your talent, too.  There's so much joy to be had when you are all in with all that you can give. Don’t Always Make Sense—do something crazy sometimes.  I can't tell you how many times in my life I have felt compelled to do something generous that seemed crazy both to me and to other people.  But there's something exhilarating and joyful about being extravagant for a worthy cause. Trust God With the Outcomes—take yourself out of the equation. It's hard for us to do, but we need to remove our ego from our generosity, or it will devolve into reluctance, which isn't generosity at all.  When you let go of your need to be praised, your need for affirmation, your need to feel fulfilled... when you let go of the outcomes... You are able to truly be generous, to feel a pure joy that won't fade away.

Imagine what it would look like if we really got this...

Imagine the difference it would make in the world...

Imagine how we could be changed from the inside out...

IF GENEROSITY ISN'T JOYFUL IT ISN'T GENEROSITY

When it comes to searching for fulfillment in our lives--the struggle is real, and especially now, am I right?

One of the many things about our culture that stands out is that there are so many people who seem to have everything, but they are still not happy.  We are taught by the attention merchants in our culture that if we can just find security, safety, a certain level of income, that next promotion, the right investment... we'll be happy and whole.

The influencers and celebrities drive the train on this--hawking success, excess, happiness through material gain, the right job, clothes, car, house, the best schools for our kids... that we'll find fulfillment.

And yet, we see in front of us every single day the evidence that having everything so to speak does not make us happy or fulfilled.  In fact, it leads to a "Disconnection from the Soul." We lose our true selves in the process.

We are not generous with ourselves in this.  We search for fulfillment from a place of scarcity.  True generosity is hard to find, which is why we are so surprised by it when we see it.  Our news cycles are dominated by the exact opposite.

And so we find that we live in a culture full of people who are in isolation, who spend more and more time othering those with whom they have differences, or who threaten our preferred path to fulfillment.  This leads to tight-fisted ways of living and moving in the world that creates divisions and disparity between those who have, and those who have not.

And all of it comes from a place of scarcity and lack.

So how do we go about living a life that is worth living?

"What is the basis of my generosity?"

Because as we've learned, if the basis of my generosity is a place of scarcity, it isn't generosity.  If it is reluctant, it isn't generosity.  If it is self-serving, it isn't generosity.

But when our generosity is a natural response to the great and amazing grace and generosity that we ourselves have been given by God---that's when things can change.  When we decide that a life worth living is one that is outward-focused and open-handed... that's the kind of basis that we are looking for.

No matter where we are in our life's journey, we can live a life worth living when we learn what it means to embody God's generosity to others and to the world.

This is why I want us to focus on this one very important idea today:

GENEROSITY LEADS TO A LIFE WORTH LIVING

And now, God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in every way having all sufficiency, you may abound in every good work.

What was Paul trying to tell the Corinthians here?  First, he wanted them to understand that when they act out of true generosity that they open themselves up to an experience of God that is nothing short of incredible.

God, according to Paul, is able to multiply/increase in abundance every grace that we both give and receive.  It's like when we are being truly open-handed in our generosity, we are tuned in to the frequencies of God's grace like never before.  The sound of it comes in loud and clear without interference.

Then he employs the word "all" in a fantastic way.  "So that in all things... at all times... having all that you need."  All of these instances of "all" have their root in the Greek word "pan," which Paul employs here on purpose so that when it's heard by the Corinthians... ALL they are hearing is ALL.

And Paul is careful to phrase this in such a way that he's focused on needs rather than wants, and that God's blessings as he outlines are not the reward for generosity, but the basis for it.

For Paul, living open-handed and generous is an act of trust---and a response to grace.

This is transformational rather than transactional grace, mind you.  That is an important point.  This isn't a quid pro quo thing by God.  This isn't the prosperity Gospel.

Televangalist or tv preachers who are millionairs and are hostile about it.

This is one of the charlatans who twist Paul's words and make this transactional in nature.  If you give God this, then God will give you that.

What Paul is teaching here is not a transactional kind of generosity in response to a transactional kind of God... it's this:

A life lived as a generous response to God’s own generosity and grace is a life that matters—a transformational life that can change the world.

After everything we've learned, I want to tell you something about yourself, and why you can live the kind of generous life that you were meant to live

Here’s What You Need To Know About Yourself

You are loved to love---One of the very best ways to demonstrate God's love for us is to love one another as we have been loved.  And how have you been loved?  You have been loved so much that the Creator of the Universe went to the furthest lengths possible in order to rescue you.

You are created to live generously--God created you out of an act of incredible generosity.  You were created from God's abundance, and not at all out of scarcity.  This Divine DNA is in you, so it's your nature to live generously.

You are connected---You are not alone in this.  Every act of generosity that you choose to share has a ripple effect.  And further, when you live generously, you begin to see more clearly how connected you are to others.

You are here—now—for a reason---You are filled with glorious purpose, because the purpose you were created to fulfill is one that was ordained by God, specific to you because of your uniqueness, your particular gifts to give.

You are part of God’s unfolding story of Redemption--If the world seems like it's messed up and hopeless, it isn't... because of you.  You have the chance to bring God's kingdom, heaven, here to earth.  When you live generously, you show the world around you what it looks like when God gets what God wants.

You can do this.  We can do this.  And when we learn what it means to live into a simple, beautiful and loving generosity, we have the chance to change the world.  Shall we get to it?

Because GENEROSITY LEADS TO A LIFE WORTH LIVING.

Generous Giving = Generous Living