Beyond the Tithe - Living Generously

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TITHES & OFFERING

Over the past three weeks we’ve talked about:

HOW GOD OWNS EVERYTHING

Firstfruits — putting God first.

The tithe — what belongs to God.

Today we move into something deeper.

There is a difference between:

Obedience and

Generosity.

The tithe is obedience.

IT IS A SIGN OF SURRENDER AND TRUST IN GOD

Offering, HOWEVER

reveals affection.

You can obey without loving.

But you cannot truly love without generosity.

So, today we are talking about the HEART OF GENEROSITY......

THE heart BEHIND offerings.

1️⃣ OFFERINGS ARE WILLING, NOT FORCED

Under the Old Testament, there were required tithes.

But there were also freewill offerings.

Look at this:

Exodus 35:4–5 NKJV

4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: 5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze;

Notice the phrase:

“Whoever is of a willing heart.”

God did not force the offering for the tabernacle.

He invited participation.

WATCH THIS....

Exodus 36:4–6 NIV

4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.” 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more,

WOW......

the people responded so generously that Moses had to tell them to stop giving

That’s powerful.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY......

The tithe says,

“I obey God.”

The offering says,

“I desire to honor God.”

OH COME ON......IS THERE ANYBODY IN HERE

WHO JUST WANTS TO HONOR AND PLEASE GOD?

2️⃣ GOD MEASURES SACRIFICE DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO

LET’S look at Jesus watching people give.

Mark 12:41–44 NIV

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Notice this:

Jesus wasn’t watching how much they gave.

He was watching HOW they gave.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

Heaven does not measure gifts the way earth does.

Earth measures size.

Heaven measures surrender.

The rich gave from a surplus.

The widow gave from sacrifice.

And Jesus said she gave more....

Why?

Because generosity is not about equal amounts.

It is about equal trust.

That should make us examine ourselves.

Pause.

3️⃣ GENEROSITY IS THE NATURE OF GOD

Why does generosity matter so much?

Because it reflects God’s character.

let’s Look at this passage carefully.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 NIV

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Let’s slow down.

“Decided in your heart” — this is intentional. “Not reluctantly” — not resentful. “Not under compulsion” — not pressured. “Cheerful” — joyfully.

The word FOR CHEERFUL is hilaros.

Glad-hearted.

Eager.

Joyfully willing.

It’s where we get “hilarious.”

AND NO SIS. TAMMY.....Not because you laugh wildly during offering.

But IT’S

because something inside you delights in generosity.

OH COME ON.....

God is not moved by tight hands.

He is moved by glad hearts.

And if giving feels heavy,

that’s not a math problem —

that’s a heart condition.

Pause.

CHURCH....

God is not looking for reluctant obedience.

He is looking for willing participation.

Generosity is not fundraising.

It is heart formation.

Pause.

THE MACEDONIAN CHURCH — GENEROUS EVEN IN POVERTY

Now LETS look at one of the strongest examples in Scripture.

2 Corinthians 8:1–5 NIV

1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

Did you catch that?

“Extreme poverty.”

“A Very Severe Trial.”

Yet “rich in generosity.”

How?

HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO DO THIS

EVEN IN THE MIDST OF SUCH GREAT AND SEVERE TRIALS

Verse 5 gives the key:

“They gave themselves FIRST to the Lord.”

That’s the secret.

OH MY LORD HELP US.....

When you give yourself first,

money becomes secondary.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....

Generosity flows from surrender.

GENEROSITY IS THE BY PRODUCT OF A HEART SURRENDERED TO GOD

I WANT TO BREAK SOME THINGS DOWN HERE IN THIS SCRIPTURE..

I WANT DIG IN A LITTLE BIT....ARE YOU READY?

Paul says this generosity was “grace.”

The Greek word is charis.

We usually define grace as “unmerited favor.

But that’s only part of it.

Charis also means divine enablement —

God working inside of you to do what you couldn’t naturally do.

OH COME SOMEBODY.....

So here’s the implication:

The Macedonians were not naturally positioned to be generous.

They were in “very severe trial.”

They were in “extreme poverty.”

Naturally,

poverty produces survival mode.

Trial produces self-preservation.......AM I RIGHT?

BUT WATCH THIS.....

grace interrupted their instincts.

Grace overrode fear.

Grace overrode scarcity.

Grace overrode logic.

And suddenly poverty produced generosity.

CHURCH That is supernatural.

So when someone says,

“I just don’t feel generous,”

The deeper question is:

Have you allowed grace to work deeply?

Because grace doesn’t just forgive you.

Grace rewires you.

It shifts you from:

“What can I keep?” to

“How can I participate?”

OH MY LORD...HELP US

LETS LOOK AT “RICH GENEROSITY”

Their “rich generosity” comes from haplotes.

It means simplicity.

Single-heartedness.

Undivided motive.

In other words,

their giving wasn’t complicated.

They weren’t calculating tax advantages.

They weren’t protecting image.

They weren’t hedging security.

It was simple:

“God has been good to us. We want to reflect Him.”

And here’s the uncomfortable thought:

Sometimes our giving becomes complex

because our hearts are divided.

But when the heart is undivided,

generosity becomes simple.

Pause.

LETS LOOK AT THIS ONE....

2 Corinthians 8:4 NIV

4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

They PLEADED for the “privilege of sharing.”

The word “sharing” is koinonia.

It means partnership. Participation. Joint involvement.

This changes everything.

They didn’t see themselves as donors.

They saw themselves as partners.

They weren’t funding ministry.

They were entering it.

OH COME ON SOMEBODY....

UNDERSTAND THIS....

When you give,

you are stepping into koinonia.

You are saying,

“This mission is mine too.”

That creates ownership of the Kingdom.

Pause.

4. OFFERINGS PARTNER YOU WITH ETERNAL IMPACT

Paul tells the Philippian church:

Philippians 4:15–17 NIV

15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.

Paul says:

I’m not after your money.

I DESIRE the blessing of what comes to you from your generosity.

he is saying......IT BLESSES ME TO SEE YOU BLESSED

AND OH WHAT BLESSING ARE BEING STORED UP FOR YOU IN HEAVEN

When you give offerings:

You fund the Gospel.

You support ministry.

You expand the Kingdom.

You store treasure in heaven.

Generosity ties your life to eternal impact.

WHEN YOU THINK AND LIVE LIKE THAT...

That changes perspective.

TO KNOW THAT MY GIVING HAS ETERNAL IMPACT....

THAT’S BETTER THAN ANY 401K OR IRA THAT I’VE EVER HEARD OF

.........WORSHIP TEAM COME......

5. GENEROSITY BREAKS SELF-CENTERED LIVING

Left to ourselves, we default to:

“What do I need?”

“What do I want?”

“What do I keep?”

IT’S ALL ABOUT I.......IT’S ALL ABOUT ME

WHAT CAN I GET

HOW DOES IT BENEFIT ME

THIS IS OUR DEFAULT SINFUL NATURE

Offerings..... shift the question to:

“What can I release?”

OH MY LORD......

WHAT CAN I GIVE

HOW CAN I BE A BLESSING

Jesus said in: HE SAID WHAT???? WE BEEN SAYING IT FOR 3 WEEKS NOW

Matthew 6:21 NIV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Your money doesn’t follow your heart.

Your heart follows your money.

If you want your heart more invested in God’s Kingdom,

invest in it.

That’s not manipulation.

That’s formation.

FINAL PRESS MOMENT

The tithe establishes obedience.

Offerings reveal love.

The tithe says,

“God is owner.”

Offerings say,

“God is my treasure.”

You can live with closed hands —

tight,

cautious,

fearful.

Or you can live with open hands —

trusting,

free,

generous.

Closed hands protect.

Open hands trust.

And here’s the truth:

You can not receive from God

with fists clenched.

.............AMEN.....WOULD YOU STAND...............

Let me show you what New Covenant generosity looks like.

Grace (charis)

awakens the heart.

That grace produces simplicity (haplotes) —

an undivided, open-handed life.

That simplicity expresses itself with joy (hilaros) —

glad-hearted surrender.

And that surrender brings partnership (koinonia) —

participation in the mission of God.

That’s the progression.

Grace. Simplicity. Joy. Partnership.

CHURCH...

THIS IS NOT ABOUT fundraising.

THIS IS ABOUT...... transformation.

The Macedonians weren’t wealthy.

They were free.

They weren’t secure in money.

They were secure in Christ.

And when Christ becomes your security,

generosity stops feeling risky.

Because your source is not shrinking.

Your source is eternal.

So TODAY the question is NOT:

“How much should I give?”

The question is:

“Has grace truly reshaped my heart?”

Because when grace gets deep enough,

you don’t have to push generosity.

It flows.

AMEN?

ALTAR INVITATION

LIKE I’VE SAID MANY TIMES OVER NOW

TODAY is not about an amount.

This is about becoming generous.

AND GENEROSITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT

IT’S ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE HEART

If you sense the Holy Spirit saying:

“I want to expand your heart.”

“I want to loosen your grip.”

“I want to grow your trust.”

IN A MOMENT I’M GOING TO ASK YOU TO come.

NOT BECAUSE YOU FEEL PRESSURED

BUT BECAUSE SOMETHING IS PULLING ON YOUR HEART TO COME

SOMETHING INSIDE OF YOU IS ENTICING YOU TO CHANGE

because THE TRUTH IS....

I THINK MANY OF US IF NOT ALL OF US.... want to reflect the generosity of God.

MANY OF US HAVE STRUGGLED WITH TRUSTING GOD IN THIS AREA....

OH COME ON SOMEBODY...

IS THERE ANYONE READY TO SURRENDER TO GOD TODAY

WORSHIP TEAM PLAY

WOULD YOU COME.........

CLOSE IN PRAYER....

Father,

You see every person here today.

You see every heart that wants to trust You more deeply.

father would you Break the chains of fear right now.

Lord, Break the chains of control.

Father, Break the illusion that security comes from anything but You.

Make us a generous people.

Make us a surrendered people.

Make us a church that reflects Your heart.

We give You ourselves first.

Lord help us to surrender and submit to you way and your will

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.