Discipleship

Intro

[Thank worship team]

Good morning Bethel Church, and good morning to our network of rural churches that are joining us live on YouTube. And if you are new here, I want to extend a special welcome to you. If you would, there are “Connect” cards in the seat in front of you. If you would fill that out there or at the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary. We even have a free gift for you if you are new to Bethel. We would love to get in touch with you and discuss how to get connected to our church family.

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Discover Bethel

Today we will begin our study of The Generosity Factor. If you are reading out of the Bibles in front of you, our passage can be found on page 888. If you do not have a Bible, please stop by the Welcome Center and take one. It is our gift to you.

TRANS: Pray

Opening Hook

[Story, question, setup]

Why You Shouldn’t Be Generous

Don’t give from a heart of pride, guilt, or greed.

Pride

Pride is recognition-seeking. This person is generous, not primarily because it benefits and loves others, but so it benefits them. The kingdom they are building is their own: their reputation, their sense of “goodness,” and perhaps superiority.

Pride is something that we may not even be aware of, yet it could be a driving force in our heart. If pride is in your heart, you may need others to point it out, because one of the insidious tactics of pride is to convince you you are not prideful.

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature 2. Find Trusted Companions

John Cassian, in the fifth century, tells the story of a man named Hero who spent fifty years living as a hermit in the desert, free from all concerns of the world. When the other hermits would gather for worship on Sabbath or feast days, Hero refused to participate lest he give the impression he was relaxing his strict disciplines for God. One day Hero discerned God wanted him to jump into a deep well as a test of his faithfulness. He expected an angel to save him but fell to the bottom where he lay half dead. His fellow monks pulled him out, trying to convince him he had not actually heard God’s voice—but it was useless. Even as he lay dying, they could not convince him that he had not heard the voice of God. “He went along so stubbornly with his own deception that he could not be persuaded, even when faced with death, that he had been deluded by the cleverness of demons.” His pride was too great.19

The prideful person may say, “yes but at least if I am generous then even if I am prideful then good comes from it.” In one sense, yes. But consider God’s economy.

1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Generosity must flow from love, not pride. Don’t be generous because it will feed your ego.

Guilt

When I say guilt, I do not mean good guilt. 2 Cor 7:9–10 talks about how God uses grief, or guilt, to bring us to repentance. There can be redemptive guilt, guilt that moves us toward healing. Guilt that wakes us up. God uses that.

What I’m referring to is what i’ll call “bad guilt.” This is the kind of guilt that others use to pressure you into making a decision. Or, when we put pressure on ourselves. We are filled with feelings of judgement, which produces all kinds of negative emotion. This is the kind of guilt that we simply want “relief” from. There are lots of strategies to get “guilt relief,” but when it comes to generosity, we cave. An opportunity to be generous comes by, and we can feel eyeballs on us (or we convince ourselves that everyone is looking).

This immense pressure is something we want to go away, so we cave. We feel so guilty that we just want relief. But this is not why we should be generous. We should not be generous under compulsion.

Greed

Now this might seem impossible. How can some be generous from a motive of greed? The truth is, it’s not impossible — it’s subtle. This person is giving with “strings attached.” They want, whether consciously or not, influence. Power. Control. They use generosity so they get access to whatever next thing they’re after.

Paul warns against this in 1 Timothy 6:5

1 Timothy 6:5 ESV

5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

They use godliness as a means of gain. This is greed.

TRANS: There are lots of reasons not to be generous. The heart is wicked and deceitful. But the story does not end there. The Christian story (and the root of generosity) does not start with our Sin, but with a perfect God! So let us turn to one of our passages today to learn about what this God has done for us:

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Why You Should Be Generous

Generosity is rooted in our generous God.

John 3:16

Jesus was talking with a man named Nicodemus, a religious leader, about what it takes to gain eternal life. To the man’s surprise, Jesus told him that he must be “born again.” How can this be? This sounds ridiculous? But Jesus was not talking about physical birth, he was talking about spiritual birth. One must be born of God in order to have eternal life.

The question then comes naturally… how does one be born of God? Simple. Whoever believes in the son has eternal life. And this promise is because God, in his great and generous love, GAVE his only son Jesus. This is the gospel, the good news. God initiated, God pursued, God made a way. And John 3:16 is likely the most famous verse in the Bible for a reason: it succinctly explains the gospel.

Kent Hughes breaks down each phrase like this:

John—That You May Believe The Great Explanation of the Cross

God The greatest Lover

so loved The greatest degree

the world The greatest company

that he gave The greatest act

his one and only Son The greatest gift

that whoever The greatest opportunity

believes The greatest simplicity

in him The greatest attraction

shall not perish The greatest promise

but The greatest difference

have The greatest certainty

eternal life The greatest possession

Our generous God gave himself for us.

The story (real-life)

In July 1941 at the Auschwitz concentration camp, the Nazis selected ten men to be executed by starvation as punishment after a prisoner escaped. One of the selected prisoners, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out in anguish about his wife and children. A Catholic priest and fellow prisoner, Maximilian Kolbe, stepped forward and volunteered to take his place—essentially saying, “Let me die instead.” The camp allowed the substitution. Kolbe was eventually killed in the starvation bunker (his death is commonly dated August 14, 1941), while Gajowniczek survived the war and later spent much of his life telling people about the gift he received. 

John 3:16 isn’t just that God loved—it’s that God loved so much He gave. Kolbe’s act is a small, human-scale echo of that gospel pattern:

Love moves toward the undeserving and helpless.

Love gives what is most costly.

Someone lives because someone else chose to give themselves.

This is the generosity of God. Generosity is central to the gospel, because the Gospel starts with what God gave to us.

Or put it in the negative, if there is no generosity, there is no Gospel. But God was generous, so there is good news for the world! “He so loved, that he gave…” This is who God is — He is a generous God, he is a loving God.

TRANS: When we talk about generosity, we start with the Source of generosity. The one who gave. And this has implications for those who follow Him.

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Disciples imitate their master.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Here’s the truth about generosity: It is central to discipleship. Our call as a church is to glorify God by making disciples like Jesus did. We learn how Jesus made disciples by watching how he lived, and what he taught. Well, what does Paul emphasize here? We ought to imitate Jesus in the same way that He gave himself up for us. Meaning, that he generously offered himself as a gift, as an act of sacrificial love, for us.

God’s actions set a pattern for us as his followers. God did not give himself up for those who were worthy of it, he gave himself up for those who were in rebellion against him.

Imitate that — mimic that. Can we perfectly? No. Our attempts will be imperfect and shallow compared to Jesus. But I love that Paul says something so profound, yet simple: “As beloved children.”

If you have little kids, you know that their attempts to imitate you are imperfect but adorable.

Athan and Imitation

Every so often, my kids will imitate me. You really find out a lot about yourself when your kids play “house” and start acting as mom and dad. Athan drops his voice as deep as it will go, he finds my boots and waddles around in them, falling over half the time. He starts bossing me around “or else I’ll take away your phone.” Or something he’ll say.

This week it got above freezing, so i took the opportunity to scrape some ice off of front and back steps to my house. Athan saw me start and immediately wanted his kid’s size shovel. So he went and got it, and started helping. Now by “helping,” I mean he somehow spread the snow and ice over what I had already cleared. But I wasn’t frustrated, My heart was full as I saw him doing his best. He was watching what I was doing, and he was imitating.

That is God with us. Are we going to be as generous as God is? No! Because it’s impossible. We cannot give as much as he gave for us. But God does not call us to do that. He calls us to, imperfectly and in our childish and shallow version… to imitate our generous God. And reject perfectionism here. I think of that moment with Athan trying to shovel and I think, I’m the child, and God is my Father. He’s pleased when I try to imitate Him.

Grow as a disciple and imitate. Children imitate their father, disciples imitate their master.

TRANS: This time of year always sets the stage for fresh mindsets, the openness to new habits, and a receptiveness to try new things. So here’s my challenge to us as a church:

Application

Begin 2026 with a mindset of generosity.

Now, before I elaborate on this. I want to make an observation: I have not said the word “money” one single time today. Not once. Some of you are thinking “that’s not true. You must have. We all know what you’re talking about.” But here’s why I haven’t said money, because to give money is *one way to be generous.*

Did Jesus give money? No, he gave himself. Does that make his sacrifice in some way less generous? Of course not. But this principle of self-giving can be applied in many ways: how we use our time, how we utilize our talents, and where we send our treasure.

But here’s the key, no matter what we have to give, the key is to have a mindset of generosity. This does not mean have no boundaries, it does not mean empty your bank account, it does not mean start volunteering everywhere, it means… be more generous than you have before.

In anticipation of this series, I have been thinking a lot about this principle. Starting this year with a mindset of generosity. So Ashley and I were reviewing our finances, and I said, “I think we should be more generous this year.” I threw out a number, we wrote it down, and we moved on.

But in the subsequent days I started to sense from the Lord, “that wasn’t enough.” But I wanted to be sure I was not just feeling guilt or putting pressure on myself that is not from the Lord. So I waited a few days. Then my wife Ashley brought the topic up again and said, “you know, I think we should increase our giving even more.” Ok Lord. You’ve brought us to the same point independently. He is so good. And I know it’s from the Lord because I was so joyful when she said that. It is a gift that I get to imitate our Savior in a small way.

What is He calling you to do?

TRANS: And ask you ask the Lord that question, ask him one more question:

Pray that God would reveal impure motives.

In an article written on YMI Today titled, How God Taught Me To Give, a woman named Singapor, she writes:

“In 2014, I decided to experiment with giving often.

Throughout that year, I found myself wavering between extremes. There were days when I did not want to give at all, and I became self-indulgent and “gave” to myself. Other times I gave out of selfish motives. What began as an experiment to try being more generous, revealed how selfish I was. I began to realize that generosity was not a natural human instinct. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we are simply not able to give freely. Through my selfishness, I saw how truly our hearts need Christ.

As I began to comprehend the amazing grace Christ gave us―even dying on the cross for us―I began to understand that we are called to be a part of His mission and, as His representatives here on earth, to exhibit His generosity. Generosity comes only from the Holy Spirit’s work within us, Christ’s life in us, and the love of God our Father overflowing in our lives. In short, generosity is a work of God in our lives.”

The more I live as a follower of Jesus, the more I realize, like Singapor, just how selfish I am. Even in my attempts to be generous, I truly cannot live without hidden motivations lurking around the corner without God’s help. He is the one who works in me so I can be generous. But though I am imperfect, my generous God invites me to be like Him.

Singapor ends her article like this:

“Christian generosity must be different from what everyone else does. We have the message of a very rich King who emptied himself and became poor, died, and rose again, so that we can be adopted into His family.

Get to know your [Father] God intimately. Knowing our identity as a child of God, we can then reflect our Father’s generosity to all.”

Source: https://ymi.today/2017/01/how-god-taught-me-to-give/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

I opened with why you should not give: Pride, guilt, and greed. I’m sure that there is no shortage of other impure motives I could list. But start there.

Ask God,

“Search me, know me where do I not know myself. Where have I deceived myself? Where am I believing something false? Search me, know me, reveal my heart and make me more like you.”

So we are going to have the band play in the background and create a little big of space to reflect. I want you to remain seated and come to Jesus in reflection and seeking His direction.

Reflect on the gospel. What he has done for you. If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, see how simple it is to have eternal life: believe in Him. Do you believe today?

And if you do, ask your Heavenly Father, “what does 2026 look like? Give me a vision of being generous, of being self-giving, of being a blessing to others.

What would you like me to do?

And second, search my heart and help me know if there are impure motives. Reveal them and take them. You paid for my sin, so show me and transform me so I am more like you.”

“What would you like me to do?

&

What impure motives do I have that you can free me from?”

Closing Prayer

We offer ourselves to you, as you offered your son for us. Take our pride, take our guilt, take our greed. Jesus paid for them on the cross. Help us to be imitators of you, that your name may be great. That your kingdom reign. That your will would be done.

Conclusion : [text]

Pray

Talk About It/Think About It

Which of these motives—pride, guilt, or greed—do you think most often disguises itself as “good generosity”? Why?

How does grounding generosity in God’s character change the way we think about giving?

What happens to generosity when it is disconnected from the gospel?

How did Jesus model generosity? In what ways can we imitate Him?

What would change if generosity became your default posture as you enter a new year?

Why is ongoing heart examination essential if generosity is going to remain healthy and God-honoring?