Uncommonly Generous

Pray for small group leaders

Finishing our series this morning on some of our values as a church. Let’s have a little quiz:

____________ Welcoming.

A. Extremely B. Graciously C. Rarely D. Radically

_____________ Oriented.

A. Southern B. Dis- C. Kingdom D. None of the above

Open to the ___________.

A. Spirit B. Force C. Weather D. Public

This last one we’ve not talked about yet but you could have seen in on the website. We are...

Uncommonly _____________.

A. Good Looking B. Charismatic C. Wise D. Generous

How’d you do?

We are Uncommonly Generous. The truth, however, is that generosity isn’t all that common. Americans on average give 2% of their income to charity. How much do you think the average Christian gives? 2.5-3%. That’s an average among all self-identifying Christians across denominations. Evangelical Christians actually do a little better - more like 7%. But still, overall generosity isn’t very common.

This morning we’re going to look at what it means to become an uncommonly generous person. I want to relieve you of anxiety from the start - this is not a “giving” sermon. Whew!

Pray

Luke 12:13-34

Upsetting (Conflict)

This scenes opens with Jesus teaching a large crowd some eternal truths about God and his Kingdom, when out of the blue this guy interrupts him.

“Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me!” Dad blast it!

This is the beginning of a Jerry Springer episode. It’s played out often: family members fighting over an estate. The more money involved, the bigger the fight. Idk if you’ve ever been in that situation but I know it causes lasting family separation and pain.

While we might be quick to judge him, if we’re honest, we’ve probably been him at some point. We’ve sat at the lawyer’s table fighting over an inheritance with relatives, or over how to split assets in a divorce. If you grew up with siblings you’ve probably groused and complained when it seemed like they got more than you. We’ve all felt anxiety and anger when we think someone is getting "our" share OR when we think we’re having to pay more than our fair share?

There is this deep-seated belief in the human condition that says there isn't enough to go around, and if I don't fight for mine, I’ll end up with nothing. It goes along with the narrative that says the good life is found in the accumulation of money, property, and expensive toys. The old adage “whoever dies with the most toys wins”.

We call this "being fair". Jesus calls it greed.

As he looks at the man he also looks at us and says, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed."

Why?

“life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Analyzing (Complication)

“Watch out” is a call to vigilance. To keep your guard up. He goes on to illustrate why greed is such a problem. He tells a story about a "successful" man. This man’s land produced so much that his current barns couldn't hold it. He’s just achieve what our modern narrative says is important - “financial independence.”

It probably needs to be said that Jesus is not condemning saving for the future. The Bible is full of wisdom about the need to do that in a responsible and appropriate way. The issue is one of uncheck greed and accumulation. The man presumedly already had barns big enough to be secure in hard times. That’s one of the reasons you build barns. And so when he has a bumper crop, instead of blessing others with his blessing he turns to hoarding. “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.” (Luke 12:18, NIV)

He’s swallowed the lie of greed; that the good life is about getting to “Eat, drink, and be merry”. Btw - what do you think he would have done the next year if he’d had another bumper crop? Probably tear down the new barns and build even bigger ones. The lie of greed tells us that there is some point where it will be enough - just not yet. How much do you need? Just a little more.

I think there are several obvious problems when we try to measure life through the lens of greed and accumulation:

There is no objective way to keep score. How do we know when we’ve arrived at the good life? Wednesday I spent $30 on Amazon for a milk warmer and frother for my morning coffee. Now that I’m able to create barista-style foam on my Trader Joe’s fair trade organic breakfast blend coffee, am I winning? Honestly, it felt a little that way this morning...

Have you ever noticed the price tag of the good life? It comes with a lot of debt.

The good life comes at the expense of our mental or physical health. Keeping up with the Joneses runs us ragged.

In the end, the chasing after “more” leads to futility. Greed causes us to pursue things that won’t last at the expense of our soul.

The more this man accumulates, the more isolated he becomes. Now he’s talking to himself, about himself, for himself. Sadly, he thinks he is building security, but he is actually digging a grave. He thinks "bigger barns" will finally let him enjoy the good life, but that very night his life is demanded of him.

The tragedy isn't that he was rich; it’s that he was rich toward himself and completely bankrupt toward God. He died surrounded by grain but starved of grace.

When we equate good life with accumulation and materialism, it becomes a disease that makes our souls sick.

Disclosing (The Turn)

I imagine at this point Jesus’ listeners are feeling the tension. I imagine that most of them would have thought what the man did was reasonable. And now Jesus has pulled the rug out from under them. If what they thought life was about isn’t really what it’s about, if what they thought would bring contentment won’t actually deliver, then what should life look like? And so Jesus offers them two illustrations: birds and flowers.

Ravens don’t plant or harvest or have barns - but God makes sure they’re fed.

Flowers don’t work as spinning thread and making clothes - but they are dressed better than someone wearing an Armani suit. They got serious drip!

Jesus isn’t promoting irresponsibility or a lackadaisical approach to money; he’s highlighting that nature of the Father. If God cares this much about birds and flowers, imagine how much more he cares for you!

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."

Think about what he’s saying. We’re been fighting and scrambling over "inheritances" and "barns" and "fairness" and just “more.” In doing so we’re been acting like orphans fighting over scraps.

We don’t need to strive and accumulate - because the Father has already given us the everything. We don’t have to build this estate; it’s something we inherit. It’s not something we have to earn; it’s a gift He is pleased to give.

This realization can transform your life:

You can live uncommonly generous when you realize that you are uncommonly cared for.

Experiencing (Resolution)

The good news is that we can live free of the tyranny of “more”. From a life consumed with constantly scrambling and grasping. Of being constantly concerned with getting our fair share.

Why? Because your worth is not tied to net worth. You are a little lamb with a big Shepherd! And our Shepherd is uncommonly generous. The apostle Paul writes, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, NIV)

Greed says “It’s all up to me to get what I need.” Grace says “It’s already been given.”

If this is true, then we are free to stop obsessing over "having enough" because we already possess everything. We can enter into the joy of a generous life: not as "owners" of an estate trying to preserve what we have, but as "stewards" of a Kingdom that has an infinite supply.

Uncommon generosity means we can embrace the truth found in the Gospel that Generosity IS the good life.

Anticipating (Celebration)

So, what does this look like tomorrow? Jesus says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33, NIV)

Every summer in high school I worked for a local farmer. The job that my friend and I came to loath each year was cleaning out the grain silo. This silo is where he stored his wheat after the harvest that he would use for seed the following year. But after he was done planting there was always some left at the bottom of the silo.

And it would sit there for almost a year. The problem is that somehow water would get in, either through a leak or ground water seeping in. And that leftover wheat would cook and rot and rest for months.

Have you ever gotten a good whiff of a chicken house? Multiply that by 3. If was literally all we could do to not gag. And we would have to take turns climbing into the silo - which was probably 150 degrees in summer - and scooping that sludge outside onto the ground. That smell was so bad we actually started chewing Levi Garrett tobacco to try and kill our sense of smell and taste a little. Not sure it worked.

I think Jesus would say this is a good illustration of someone who’s aim in life is greedy accumulation. Like that leftover wheat, the “more” in our life eventually becomes a putrid mess. And what is worse, we come to realize that we may be rich, but in all the wrong ways.

Jesus isn’t saying to give everything you own away. He isn’t saying you should embrace poverty. He’s saying you don’t need to fall into the trap of greed, this tendency in the world toward uncheck accumulation and striving after stuff. He’s saying that God’s kingdom has come and we now live in the reality of the Father’s generosity.

As we embrace this reality, our hands stop grasping and start opening. We begin to look for ways to be generous because we realize that any excess we "store up" is going to rot, but anything we "give away" is transferred to a heavenly account that never fails. We can live free because our hearts are anchored in heaven, not in barns.

You can live uncommonly generous when you realize that you are uncommonly cared for.

I think we are already an uncommonly generous church.

We have upwards of 15 people showing up at various times a week to prepare to either store, distribute or spiritually nurture those who come to the pantry. Last year we fed 6,385 people!

Over the past two years we have sponsored over 70 neighborhood children who wouldn’t have otherwise gotten much for Christmas.

You may not know this, but your generosity has made it possible to bless every staff member at Carnall Elementary the last two years with a small gift on their birthday.

Last year you gave over $12k to help feed hungry children in Kenya.

We ARE uncommonly generous on our way to BECOMING uncommonly generous.

At the Vineyard, we don’t think being uncommonly generous is exclusively tied to writing a check. Obviously, the Bible is pretty clear about the priority of giving to your church, but that’s not really what’s at the heart of being uncommonly generous.

Being uncommonly generosity isn't primarily about a percentage; it's about a posture. It’s becoming the kind of person who lives with open hands - able to receive God’s blessing and able to pass those blessings to others. It’s a posture of refusing to buy into the lie that the good life is about the greedy accumulation of more. It’s a posture of living in contentment, trusting God to give what we need while remaining thankful for what we have.

In the end, Jesus says that uncommon generosity is the cure for the contamination of greed.

And because of Jesus we can now live differently because our hearts are anchored where our treasure is—with a Father who is generous and delights in giving.

Communion

Invite people to stand.

Invite Communion/ministry team forward.

Every Sunday we close our time by receiving Communion together. This symbolic meal reminds us of Jesus’ sacrifice. In it we testify that Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. Jesus said it is his body and blood, true food and true drink. It is a grace given to us for our spiritual nourishment.

We think Jesus invites everyone to this table. If it’s your first time, or you’re not even sure yet where you stand with Jesus, we think he would welcome you here. If you would like to participate, after I pray step into the nearest aisle. Someone at the front will take a piece of bread dipped in wine and offer it to you as the body and blood of Jesus. If you prefer not to have wine, close your hands together and that will be the sign for them to give you a sealed container with grape juice and a wafer.

I hope I’ve made clear that all generosity begins with God, who gave his Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. If we ever doubt the generosity of God we only have to look at the cross. This shouldn’t shame you; it should make you see just how much you are loved. If you’ve never received that love before, if you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus, would you do that this morning?

What is the Spirit doing this morning?…

Let’s rejoice together with all God’s people in the generosity of the Lord from Psalm 34:

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:8–10, NIV)

Thank him that through the blood of his cross he has washed our sins away. Through his victorious resurrection he has guaranteed us eternal life. Through his ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit he has made us one with you.

We remember Him who for us and for our salvation, on the night that he was betrayed...

Come Holy Spirit and overshadow these elements. Let them be for us your body and blood so that we can participate in your redemptive work for us. May we find mercy, healing and salvation through the finished work of the cross. Amen.

Invite the worship team to receive Communion first.