The Generous Life

The Generous Life: Becoming a Giver Like God

A 30-minute Bible Study Manuscript for Men’s Gathering, August 12, 2025 6am

Introduction

You will never have enough money - it’s true - Gallup did a poll and asked a simple question: “How much annual income would you need in order to be happy and worry free?” the answer was the same across the board: twice as much. No matter if you were making $30,000 or $800,000 a year. Furthermore, it’s biblical! Ecclesiastes 5:10 “10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.” - if you love money will never have enough or make enough. That’s not to say that money is bad - but the focus on it can be.

I want to start with a bit of my story - a testimony of my relationship with money.

I grew up without a lot of money. My first job was pulling oysters and clams from our family’s oyster garden in Tar Landing—Sneads Ferry. If you've ever driven to North Topsail Beach, you’ve seen it on the right side of the high-rise bridge.

Later, in college, I became overly focused on money. I originally planned to be a music teacher, but my mom—who was a teacher herself—told me, “Teachers don’t make money. You should go into computers instead.” And I did. But that moment started a pattern: making decisions with money at the center. Money became a proverbial “idol” for me that day.

I used that example when teaching Life Group many years later (and many years ago) when I was working on a lesson for Life Group around generosity - I had a sobering thought: If the Lord came back tomorrow and looked at my 401k, would He be pleased with how I’ve used my money? Yikes! I shared it with our life group and they looked at me with 3 eyes: I even got the comment, “Jesus saves, so should I” - but this though made me realize—God doesn’t need our money - he doesn’t even want our money (HE WANTS SOMETHING MORE)! That thought began to change how I made decisions.

Finances used to be the number 1 cause of divorce but has since been replaced by social media - it still holds a strong second place.

There are over 2,300 verses in the Bible that deal with money, wealth, possessions, and stewardship. This includes direct instructions, parables, proverbs, and warnings.

Jesus spoke about money more than almost any other topic—nearly half of His parables (16 out of 38) involve money or possessions.

The Bible talks more about money than faith and prayer combined.

The only subject Jesus taught more about than money was the Kingdom of God

Why??? — if God doesn’t need or want my money why does the Bible have so much to say about it? It’s not because money is the most important thing, but because it’s one of the greatest competitors for our hearts. God wants our hearts to be like His. Consider how he called Abraham out of Ur. We look at this and believe that he called Abraham out of one bunch of tents and into another bunch of tents. Ur was a metropolis in those days with many thousands of people and extreme riches (look at the picture of a chair leg made of gold and blue painted seashells…). God called Abraham out of a city of riches to develop his heart to be more like His.

In the New Testament Jesus is clear that how we handle money is a spiritual issue, not a financial one. It’s not about money - it’s about developing a generous heart. Jesus wants us to be like Him and live a Generous Life!!

I considered just standing up here and reading scriptures for my 30 minutes there is certainly enough scripture to do that. I am going to focus on Matthew 6, starting in verse 19 so you can turn there.

While you are turning I’d like to read you a sampling of these verses you should have under your belt:

1 Timothy 6:17–19 “17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Ecclesiastes 5:10 “10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

Malachi 3:10 “10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

1 Timothy 6:10 “10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Matthew 25:40 “40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Hebrews 13:2 “2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 “6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully (generously) will also reap bountifully (generously). 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

What’s clear here is that God wants us to have a heart like His - a generous heart!!

This morning we will dive into Matthew 6:19–24 and ask: what does Jesus say about treasure, our hearts, and what it really means to live generously? How do we develop a generous heart? Not just giving money out of guilt, but giving because it reflects the heart of God.

Let’s take a look….

Matthew 6:19–24 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.

We become really upset (sometimes angry, frustrated) when our earthly treasures leave us in this life - and that MAY happen. But what is guaranteed is that we will leave ALL our earthly treasures when we die.

Jesus is speaking to our priorities, what we treasure. Here He addresses the heart (vv. 19–21), the soul (vv. 22–23), and the will (v. 24).

The Heart 1: Generosity Reveals What We Treasure

Matthew 6:19–21; Luke 12:16–21

The Heart

Jesus tells us there are only two places where our treasure can be stored: on earth or in heaven. One is temporary. One is eternal.

He warns us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.” Why? Because moth and rust destroy. Thieves break in and steal. Possessions fade. Markets crash. Bodies wear out. But treasure in heaven? That’s secure.

Then comes the piercing summary: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” You want to know what someone values? Look at where their money goes. Look at where their time and attention go. That’s where their heart is.

Don Carson is right: “It is a poor bargain which exchanges the eternal for the temporal.”

Jesus illustrates this in Luke 12 with the parable of the rich fool. A man accumulates so much wealth that he says to himself, "I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones... eat, drink, and enjoy life."But God says, *"You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. Then who will get what you’ve prepared?" - this is the entire point of Ecclesiastes summed up in a few sentences! Your stuff will be someone else’s, and two generations from now you will be wholly and completely forgotten. Only the eternal things you do will be remembered.

Luke 12:16–21 ESV

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones…..I’ll move into a larger house, get one with more land, get a storage unit, remodel the garage…… “we don’t need more bins, we need to have less stuff”. But then what will we spend our money on - things that get people to know Jesus!

I’ve been there - fear of not having things, anxiety that I won’t be seen as a good provider for my family, that my kids won’t have the things they need (want!), that my wife won’t be satisfied with our lifestyle….the list goes on but most of it is fear and anxiety.

…at this point is that if you’re thinking this way you don’t have money - money has you.

We have to stop thinking about money as anything other than a tool in our toolbox to accomplish Kingdom Work while we are here. Want to know a secret?

I was really unsatisfied with my job, and I changed positions, got promoted, everything - never satisfied. Celena looked me straight in the eyes one day and said that I’ll never be satisfied - BECAUSE THIS IS NOT MY HOME!!! I’m not meant to be here long-term but I’m planning, saving, and building like I am.

When was the last time you washed a rental car? Never! Our whole earth changes over the entirety of humans about once every 100 years - nothing here is mine at all! I’m renting everything for an extended period of time. I had to change how I looked at why I’m here and what money is amidst it all.

So what does your treasure say about your heart?

The Soul 2: Generosity is not what you do, it’s why you do it

Matthew 6:22–23; 2 Corinthians 8–9

Jesus moves from treasure to eyesight: *"The eye is the lamp of the body... If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness."

What’s He talking about?

In the first-century Jewish world, a “good eye” was a way of describing a generous person. Proverbs 22:9 says, "The one with a generous [lit. good] eye will be blessed." A bad eye represented greed and stinginess.

Daniel Akin unpacks it: “The good eye is one fixed on God, unwavering in its gaze... the individual with a single eye toward kingdom values is characterized by maximum understanding of divinely revealed truth.”

So a generous person sees clearly. A stingy person is blind. Jesus is saying that generosity is not about your wallet, it’s about your vision. What are you focused on? What kingdom are you living for?

In 2 Corinthians 8–9, Paul gives us a picture of this kind of generosity. The Macedonian believers, even in their poverty and affliction, "gave joyfully and beyond their ability." Why? Because, Paul says, "They gave themselves first to the Lord."

Here are some of the grace-giving principles from those chapters out:

· Outward hardship should not prevent inward generosity (8:1-4).

· Give yourself to the Lord first (8:5).

· Generosity is proof of love (8:8).

· God loves a cheerful giver (9:7).

· Generosity results in thanksgiving to God (9:11-12).

You see, giving isn’t about guilt. It’s about grace. The more you understand the gospel — the generosity of God in Christ — the more your heart begins to open.

The Will 3: Generosity Declares Who Our Master Is

Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:17–19

Jesus finishes this section with a bold and uncomfortable statement:

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

John Piper puts it like this: “Either you are mastered by money and make God your bellhop, or you are mastered by God and make money a servant of the kingdom.”

We were made to be ruled. The only question is: Who is your Master?

We cannot obey two Kings. We cannot live with split allegiance. As Spurgeon said, *"You can live for this world, or for the next; but not both."

I have lived for this world, over and over, and you will never be satisfied with that. I would get home, having been super successful but something wasn’t right - things felt “off”. Celena looked me in the eye and said “you’re not meant to be here”……

And Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

“Instruct those who are rich not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God... to do what is good, to be rich in good works, generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for themselves... so that they may take hold of what is truly life.”

You might be thinking “I’m not rich…..” to be in the global 1% - how much money is that?

$32,000/yr – what about the median and average income of the US? We feel “less” depending on those around us and we live in a very affluent place – be wary of the Corinthian dilemma!!

That’s the goal: to take hold of real life.

When we started with the campus development team this was my hope and prayer:

Exodus 36:2–6 ESV

2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing,

Conclusion: The Indescribable Gift

I want to close with a thought: What if your generosity helped someone else get into heaven?

What if your open hand allowed the gospel to be preached, or a child to be fed, or a neighbor to see the love of Christ?

God doesn’t need your money. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He’s after something far more valuable—your heart.

So look to the cross. Look at what God gave for you. And then give. Give joyfully. Give sacrificially. Give yourself first to the Lord.

As 2 Corinthians 9:15 says: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

Let me take you back to that moment that changed me. Preparing for a lesson. Thinking about my 401k. And wondering: Would the Lord be pleased if He looked at how I’ve used my money?

That question still challenges me. But it also invites me. Into joy. Into generosity. Into the kind of life Jesus lived and called us to.

Danny Akin, Head of Southeastern Seminary, was talking in chapel one time and he said this:

“Look to the cross, consider what God has done for you in Christ, and give. You will find it impossible to be anything but generous in your response.”

So gentlemen, let’s take hold of what is truly life - living generously giving of ourselves - our time, our talents and gifts, and our treasures.

As the hymn goes, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.”

Let’s become givers like God and live a generous life.

Let’s Pray.

Table Talk Questions – “The Generous Life”

1. What’s the most generous thing someone has ever done for you?

2. When you hear the word “generosity,” what comes to mind first? (Money? Time? Service? A person in your life?)

3. Do you tend to associate generosity more with actions or attitude? Why?

4. In what ways have you experienced generosity growing up—either in your family or in your church?

5. Has there ever been a time when giving brought you unexpected joy or freedom? Share about that.

6. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What would someone learn about your heart by looking at how you spend your money and time?

7. What are some “earthly treasures” you’ve been tempted to cling to or prioritize above heavenly tr?

8. How do you personally wrestle with the tension between planning wisely for the future and giving sacrificially today?

9. What are some non-financial ways you can practice generosity in your current season of life?

10. What would it look like to give yourself first to the Lord, like the Macedonians did in 2 Corinthians 8:5?

11. What’s one small step you could take this week to cultivate a more generous heart—toward your family, your church, or someone in need?