The Ethic of a Christian- pt6- Generosity

I know very few people who do not work very hard for what they have. As a country, we have always talked about the value of hard work and a pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps mentality. The name for that mindset for years was the Protestant work ethic. And it was based around a verse in 2 Thessalonians 3:10- taken out of context of course, but nonetheless that became ingrained in our minds and souls.

Along with that came a generosity that focused on giving someone a hand up and not a hand out. We could help someone in need who had fallen on hard times, but if they stayed there, then something must be amiss, because hard work would not allow anyone to be in need for long- unless someone was very young and abandoned or very old, and without family.

There is not a single word in the Bible that I can find against being a hard worker. We should be diligent and good employees and employers. However, the biblical ethic of generosity looks very different than what we have often been trained to practice.

Now I am going to say something this morning before we get into the word. Of all the ethics we have talked about thus far, as a congregation in general, this is the one I see us practice the most regularly. So what we dig into this morning may be less of a new idea, and more of a reminder to be faithful to stay the course.

Generosity in the Bible is not tied to outcomes. It is more about us and the condition of our hearts that it is about the people to whom we are being generous. They benefit- to be sure- but the blessing and the faith is really us, because when you look at generosity in the Bible it is about sowing in faith and not worrying about the results.

Let’s start in Deuteronomy 15:7-11 this morning.

So the first thing to catch here is the person in question has “become” poor- something from the outside has affected their situation. Scripture is regularly pointing out that poverty often is the result of someone sinning against a poor person- taking advantage of them or abusing them.

Deuteronomy (6) Tribute to the Sovereign (14:22–16:17)

true charity consists of compassion at work. The real test of commitment to this principle would be the brother who asked for help at the last hour, just before the time of debt cancellation or suspension of payment came about (v. 9a). To lend to him then would likely be tantamount to making him an outright gift inasmuch as he would have little or no time left to pay back the loan

But we also live in a fallen world. Disasters happen. Jobs are lost. Crops fail. Providers die.

And what does God say we are to do?

Be generous.

Do not harden your heart- judge them based on their circumstances

Shut your hand- refuse to help them

Instead, we are to be the exact opposite. We are to be generous to the point that the are provided for- no matter the cost.

Deuteronomy (6) Tribute to the Sovereign (14:22–16:17)

one should give freely (so the inf. abs. of the verb nātan, v. 10a), not grudgingly, for this is what delights the Lord and prompts him to respond in like manner with blessing and prosperity (v. 10). In the real world of fallen humanity there will always be the poor (v. 11a), but there must also always be, among God’s people, a spirit of generosity to them

That’s a tough one. What then is the limit?

And I think that is where we have to be trusting- asking God not the least amount we should give, but how much we should give. To operate out of abundance and not out of frugality.

Why is that?

Look how generous God has been with us!

Now verse 9 needs a little explanation

(explain year of Jubilee and 7th year return)

But it is not just what we give but HOW we give.

God says we give freely and not under duress

And He promises a blessing. Generosity breeds success.

Now this isn’t some prosperity gospel mumbo jumbo. Think about this. If we are generous with others, others will be generous with us. The blessings flow back ad forth and compound in a world that is generous. (talk about WMCC and budget)

Last thing to catch before we move on in verse 11- there will always be poor people. Church if that is the case then there must be something more at work here than laziness. There is a system we are seeking to disrupt- one that is founded in sin and grown in a broken world- to which we are called to be salt and light.

Now go with me to Matthew 6:1-4.

One of the things addressed in Deuteronomy is our attitude in giving. Here Jesus addresses HOW we give.

The religious people in His day LOVED to make a show of righteous acts. They liked for people to know how generous they were.

Matthew 2. Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)

That which is done solely or primarily for personal honor or gain may accomplish its objective (v. 2b), but God will grant no further reward.

Matthew 2. Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)

Jesus’ point is unambiguous: his followers must not parade their piety or show off their good deeds. Such ostentation nullifies the possibility of any spiritual benefit for the almsgiver

Jesus said His people were to be different. We don’t make a show of helping people. We just do it.

Why is this so important?

Think about this. We make a show of giving and who gets the glory? Us.

Who gave us what we gave away? God.

Who motivated us to give? God.

Who should get the glory? (fill in the blank)

Matthew 2. Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)

The positive alternative Jesus commands is that we should give in such a way that there is no temptation for others to glorify the giver rather than God

I will tell you I cannot count the number of people at WMCC who have helped people in secret. Elders or staff members will get calls from people who hear of needs and want to help but do not want to be known.

And there is another benefit to that. No one feels awkward or indebted. We remain a unit- a family. And no one is superior or inferior based on how they help or give.

Matthew 2. Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)

Jesus was simply explaining that the motive for charity must not be the desire for praise from others

When we consider how to give and to who Paul speaks to this pattern of life in 2 Corinthians 9:6-14.

While Deuteronomy told us not to be stingy or to give grudgingly, in the NT Paul introduces the call to be a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 3. Divine Principles of Giving: Why the Corinthians Need to Give Generously (9:6–15)

Scripture assumes that what is crucial is the attitude of the one who gives, not the amount. God, who knows and appraises our hearts, values only those gifts that come as a free expression of the deepest part of our souls. Gifts given under some sense of external compulsion will always be halfhearted at best. That is why the amount makes no difference if it is given with a glad heart (8:12). But if it is given resentfully with a gloomy countenance, that attitude cancels any merit the gift might have no matter its amount

To be a cheerful giver requires some decisions:

will I give a little or a lot

what will I give

why am I giving

2 Corinthians 3. Divine Principles of Giving: Why the Corinthians Need to Give Generously (9:6–15)

No farmer considers sowing as a loss of seed because the harvest will provide the seed for the next season. Consequently, no sower begrudges the seed he casts upon the ground or tries to scrimp by with sowing as little as possible. He willingly sows all that he can and trusts that God will bless the sowing with a bountiful harvest. If the farmer, for some reason, stints on the sowing, he will cheat himself of that harvest. The more he sows, the greater the harvest he will reap and the more he will have for sowing for the next harvest. Applying this analogy to giving means that plentiful giving will result in a plentiful harvest.

All this is rooted in verse 8-12

What do we believe about God’s ability to provide for us?

(Personal story from my own life about how hard this can be- and why this is a struggle)

What is amazing is the more we are willing to be generous as the Lord provides opportunity the more He trusts us with more resources to be generous.

2 Corinthians 3. Divine Principles of Giving: Why the Corinthians Need to Give Generously (9:6–15)

Most people become miserly in their giving because they worry that they will not have enough for themselves. Paul assures them that God will supply them with plenty for their needs at all times

This is not some gimmick to get rich- that is never promised and some of the most faithful followers of Jesus are the most impoverished- but it is a promise that God will not let our generosity put us in peril of not being cared for.

2 Corinthians 3. Divine Principles of Giving: Why the Corinthians Need to Give Generously (9:6–15)

The more we give, the more we will be given by God to share with others. We may not have all the money that we want, but we will have all the money we need to be abundant in our giving to others.

When God gives us our resources, God gives us more than we need, not so that we can have more, but so that we can give more to others. God does not bestow material blessings so that one can hoard them for oneself or withdraw from others but so that they might be shared with others

And what comes out of all of this- again- is more people glorify and follow Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3. Divine Principles of Giving: Why the Corinthians Need to Give Generously (9:6–15)

Their gift is not just a service for the poor, it is a service to God because of the thanksgiving that will redound to God’s glory. The recipients of their gifts cannot help but lift their voices in thanksgiving to God.

9:13 “The proof of this ministry” (“this service by which you have

Church so many people have come to know Jesus thru generosity and sacrifice.

So what happens when we are not generous? What does it look like when Christians are stingy or even hostile to those in need?

Go with me to James 2:14-17.

James is very blunt with his assessment of this situation. Your faith is all talk. A follower of Jesus can not see need and not be provoked to help to serve to give.

James (1) The Open Question (2:14)

James was concerned with the demonstration of faith in Jesus through works of mercy. Paul was concerned with justification through Christ alone and not by ritual works of the law, such as circumcision, apart from faith in Christ

We may not all have the ability to give the same amount or the same way, but our hearts should leap to the front to intervene and be generous.

James (2) Need without Deed (2:15–16)

The poor need more than mere words; so does the believer who needs the saving act and wisdom of God. A word of blessing without an act of blessing is like the promise of salvation without the saving act of God in Christ

Why is that? I repeat myself- because Jesus was generous with us. He have everything and laid aside all He deserved to save us.

How can we respond any differently?