Generous God
Notes
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Week 1 - Generous God - Intro/God - Who is God? What does he do to us?
Launching Series-I am so excited to Launch this new Series called Generosity.
I am so excited to Launch this new Series called Generosity. It is amazing because we are partnering with 6 different churches. A few weeks ago a group of us pastors spent close to 3 hours together working together to nail down a sermon series on Generosity. So this Sunday we are la
Partnership Language - It is amazing because we are partnering with 6 different churches. A few weeks ago a group of us pastors spent close to 3 hours together working together to nail down a sermon series on Generosity. So this Sunday we are launching this Series at 6 different churches to proclaim how Generous our God is and how to teach on how God has called us to be a generous people.
I am so excited to Launch this new Series called Generosity. It is amazing because we are partnering with 6 different churches. A few weeks ago a group of us pastors spent close to 3 hours together working together to nail down a sermon series on Generosity. So this Sunday we are la
Service - Not only that; we just don’t want to talk about being generous we want to be generous. All six churches are engaging in serving generously. Yarmouth Wesleyan is putting all a whole Love week where people sign up for different opportunities like
1. Go into school and putting on a meal for all the staff
2. Kids Christmas shop - used or new things and kids can come in to pick a toy for 25 cents
3. Christmas Dinner - Hey if you are alone Christmas Day?
4. Car Give-away Ministry/Men’s Ministry
5. Livewell Challenge Potential
6. 100 Meals for 100 days (12 or 13 of the hundred) Host it there
7. Salvation Army Kettles - Walmart Shift for a Month
8. Meals to 1st Responders
9. Carolling
10. Team Captains for every serving opportunity
11. Carolling
10. Provide Supper
11. Food Drive
12. Prayer Walk
13. Nursing Homes
Nursing Homes
14. Hot Chocolate and Snacks to the Wharf
Hot Chocolate and Snacks to the Wharf
15. Small Group Serving Opportunities
There are a number of different opportunities and for a lot of us this list just exhaust us. Dumping day was yesterday, there is no time for nothing and somewhere in the midst of all of it we have to get ready for Christmas.
This is my challenge you don’t have to do everything just something. For some of you an hour is all you feel like you can give this month, then give that one hour.
Total Hours - And this is what we want to do. We want to add up the total hours everyone serves so at the end of the month we can celebrate all that God has done. So what I want you to do is keep track of how many hours you have served and let your small group leader or myself know so we can track it. Then when we get close to Christmas we are going to announce not only how many hours our church has served but how many hours 6 churches has served to impact Sou-West Nova!!!!!
Giving - But wait there is more. Not only are we going to be generous with our time this month we want to be generous with our resources. This month the church is going to give at least 10 percent of every offering to support local causes. We don’t have a missions group to spotlight this month, CR was last month. So 10 percent of every bit of resources that comes in we are going to invest in local causes, peoples and initiatives.
Matching/Partnering - Also, maybe there are initiatives that you want to personally support this month. The Church would love to help you partner with that. We would love to explore supporting a group or organization with you this December to help multiply your personal gift with a gift from our church. One of the barriers for some of you is being able to let people know what you gave in light of this Generosity Month. Luella is our financial secretary and I would like for you to let her know or myself know or your small group leader know how much money you are choosing to give in light of this series on Generosity. You don’t have to give everything just something. And let me also say giving an extra gift to the church this Christmas is also an option as you invest in advancing God’s mission this Christmas. We are wanting to hire on a part-time Music Director and a part time Admin soon and we are going to need finances to do that. If God is speaking to you this Holiday season about helping with that maybe you need to put a gift in for that. Whatever the case this month I want to challenge you to be generous with your giving. At the end of the month we want to celebrate Christmas but celebrating the amount of hours we have served and the amount of money we have given.
Healthy Competition -Now I don’t know about you but I love a good healthy competition. A bit of a risk going here but I’m going for it so guys if you watch this online there is a genuinely no ill-will I just want to do whatever it takes to inspire the folks here at Woods Harbour. Now, it’s a bit unrealistic for us to try and compete with our friends from Yarmouth Wesleyan but in healthy way and all in good fun let’s be challenged to try and give as much or more than some of our other churches that are partnering in this initiative. This isn’t to boast about our church or say we gave more but is actually to
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
As a matter of fact the Apostle Paul did this. Let me share what I think is a funny and fascinating verse
2 Corinthians 8:1-
2. Kids Christmas shop - used or new things and kids can come in to pick a toy for 25 cents
3. Christmas Dinner - Hey if you are alone Christmas Day?
4. Car Give-away Ministry/Men’s Ministry
5. Livewell Challenge Potential
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.
Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.
At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality,
as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
6. 100 Meals for 100 days (12 or 13 of the hundred) Host it there
7. Salvation Army Kettles - Walmart Shift for a Month
8. Meals to 1st Responders
9. Carolling
10. Provide Supper
11. Food Drive
12. Prayer Walk
13. Nursing Homes
14. Hot Chocolate and Snacks to the Wharf
15. Small Group Serving Opportunities
I want us to be spurred on, challenged and encouraged to give more in light of how our brothers and sisters are doing. So let’s go after it.
I have challenged small groups to plan at least one initiative but maybe here this morning you are being inspired to do it. JUST DO IT! I am so excited for how God is going to use this series and for how it is going to impact our lives, our church and our community. Let’s be the church.
PREP
Biblical Perspective
Advent Christmas Heavy
Generic Intro - Why Generous?
What’s in it for me?
What stops Generosity?
Painting a Picture of the Generous Heart of God
Salvation message
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
NIV
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
NIV
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.
NIV
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
OUTLINE - Topical
Intro
Story - intro subject - GREAT GENEROSITY STORY - Fixing my Smile
As many of you know I love to play hockey. On some Wednesday I enjoy playing hockey with police officers, paramedics and other social servants who serve our community. When I was growing up my brothers and I spent a lot of time playing hockey. One of things you learn about hockey players is that from time to time the lose their teeth. I was fortunate enough to have broken or lost teeth on multiple occasions playing hockey.
Elbow and chipped tooth from Andy
Hockey net fell on my face
Check from behind and I was laying in the hospital bed and spit my tooth out
Eating an apple
So why in the world am I started off this mornings sermon with a bunch of random yarns about losing teeth.
It’s not because I’m signing the song “All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth.” I have a picture here I want to show and it reveals some of the damage that has been done to my teeth over the years playing hockey. while i was at Bible college someone saw that i had this broken smile and generously offered to fix it. as some of you are really aware getting any type of dental work is really expensive and the cost of getting my tooth fixed was really expensive but this person anonymously paid to get my tooth fixed. maybe you’ve experienced this kind of generosity before but it leaves us asking the question ‘why would someone be this generous?’ snd for this person or family i believe it’s because they know a generous God who makes generous people. So today I would like to talk about that Generous God.
This advent season we celebrate God giving us the most generous gift of all.
FCF/Why?? - We lack a revelation of what Christ has done, FALSE NARRATIVE ABOUR GOD, But in my Bible
Teaser/Hope/Prayer/Jesus solution - Holy Spirit paint a picture for us about what the heart of God is really like
Genrosity
1. God has indescribable generosity
He’s a God with Indescribable Generosity
Rich in MERCY - wealth of mercy is unprecedented
Grace and Mercy defined
The Present of The Presence
Far Reaching ...into our tomorrow’s
Bottomless/Unsearchable
Movement word
- Kindness & Intimacy
- Unconditional Love
- Adopting Love
- Pursuing
Relentless
the very first first sermon i ever preached
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 peter 1:18-19
I preached for about 5 minutes, shortest sermon ive ever preached. someo fo you may be wishing that htis is one of those. but i just remember being a b rand new beleiver weeping over the reality that God gave me this priceless gift in Jesus.
my herat was just so blown awauy that God would be that kind of generous and tbhroug my Christian life i”ve exeperienced God’s generousity.
the bible says
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
James 1:
The Bible teaches us that every good thing that we have comes from the generous heart of God. PAUSE.
This morning I would like to just take a few moments to help take the curtain away from the herat of God and for you to see just how generous He is. It’s really difficult for me to articulate how generous God is. One of the reason why it is so difficult is because God’s generosity is unsearchable, beyond our understanding and more than what we can think or imagine. God’s generosity is beyond knowledge in order for us to communicate things we have knowledge of things like — take a math equation. if lobster are $8/lb and you have 10lbs of lobster you have $80 worth of lobster. That’s knowledge so we’re able to articulate that but because God’s generosity is so amazing and so incredible and so unsearchable. our words are actually inadequate to describe his incredible generosity. The bible says in
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Some translations say boundless, some say unsearchable. the reality is this… is that the gift that we have in Jesus and the riches we now have because of Him is the greatest expression of generosity.
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
I want you to catch it this morning — God’s generosity is beyond what we can think or imagine or conceive but the Holy Spirit has the ability to reveal to our hearts how generous God truly is.
Let me go back to math for a second. If you take the generous gift that Jesus is and all that He gives to us — adoption, forgiveness, holiness, freedom, liberty, family, purpose, meaning, and the incredible generosity that he has expressed to us — and you add the ministry of the Holy Spirit this is what you get … you get a heart that swells with joy and awe because they have been made aware of how generous God truly is.
So to break it down again — the incredible gift of Jesus plus the ministry of the Holy Spirit equals a heart that swells with joy and awe because they’re aware of the generous gift that Jesus is. Do you see that this morning? PAUSE.
The generous heart of God melts the heart of man. i was so thankful for the opportunity to go with Pastor Carolina and go pray with people at the wharves. I’ve gotta say, C and i were both on a high as we went to pray for over 50 fishermen at 6 different wharves, prayed over 15-20 boats and it was amazing how we offered coffee and offered to pray for people and just how that seemed to open up people to see from God.
you know God works like that in our lives — he shows us the incredible generosity in Jesus and as we develop a relationship with Him God begins to melt our hearts and shows us we are loved by God.
and again I struggle as a preacher because articulating the genouristy of God is like trying to dsescribe all the details of the universe but I’m thankful that God’s Spirit can cause you to experience how generous GOd really is. i’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. God gave the thing that was most precious for you that’s how generous God is,. that he would give us JEsus. what does that do you t oyur herat? does that do anything to the inside of you?
Like when you think about how God is what kind of effect does that have on you? are you moved? and if you’re not moved maybe you have moved. maybe you have moved away from God maybe your’e not experiencing God’s generosity or his generous heart because you’ve turned your heart and face away from him.
You know, I wrestle sometimes with why we don’t experience the HS revealing God’s Generosity to us . because i think if we’re being honest there’s times when we don’t seem to be aware of what Christ has done. and I think I’ve had a revelation I think the reason sometimes that we don’t have the awareness of God’s presence is because we’re walking in disobedience and we break fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
James 1:
it’s difficult for the HS to constantly remind us of what Jesus has done for us if we’re n ot in fellowship with HIm. Revival is when the HS comes and moves in power and the reason we don’t experience revival is because we’ve broken fellowship with the HS. SO for some of us-the reason we don’t experience GOd’s generosity is we’re not walking in fellowship with Him.
SO the application is what areas of your life do you need to change or adjust so that you can be walking with the HS PAUSE.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
So God gives us the incredible Gift in Jesus. He was filled with grace &truth. God loves us and has this incredible generosity for us, but in order for us to be aware fo that generosity consistency we have to walk in the truth.
POINT 2: God’s generoisty is tangible.
this verse in John says that while God’s generosity is unsearchable God’s generoisty is tangible.
this verse in John says that while God’s generosity is unsearchable God’s generosity is tangible.
POINT 2: God’s generosity is tangible.
- Incarnation (unpack the theology of what that mean) more than just coming down
JESUS STEPS DOWN INTO OUR LIVES, INTO OUR MESS
- Kindness & Intimacy
- Unconditional Love
- Adopting Love
- Pursuing
Relentless
The Word becanme flesh.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
and
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
So if we want to know what God is like these verses say “look at Jesus” God became man in Jesus and God because real, tangible flesh and blood.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
1 John 1:
So while the generosity of God is beyond our understanding the incarnation gives us a tangible expression of the generosity of God. SO when we look and read about the stories of Jesus we see an expression of the generosity of GOd. As a matter of fact from the moment Jesus was conceived in Mary to the moment he was born int he manger to everything He lived out. to the point he died on the cross and rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven every moment, every second of Jesus’ life here on earth was a tangible expression of God’ generosity to us. PAUSE.
SALVATION INVITATION
We have seen generous God from - didn’t have to
Well because of the damage I did to my teeth they were all in pretty rough shape. The one I had chipped way back when actually ended up dying and looked really bad.
Here’s a picture of it
Praise note -> SS series
Set Up/Sermon Series
Conclusion
This c’mas/Advent
Hook
Subject intro - Today I would like to talk about our Generous God
Teaser/Hope/Prayer/Jesus solution - Holy Spirit paint a picture for us about what the heart of God is really like
Who is God? -------->
High Points
- Incarnation (unpack the theology of what that mean) more than just coming down
- Kindness & Intimacy
- Unconditional Love
- Adopting Love
- Pursuing
Relentless
Sacrifical
Grace and Mercy defined
The Present of The Presence
Adopting
Far Reaching ...into our tomorrow’s
Bottomless/Unsearchable
Love is limitless & Indescribable
Movement word
Sacrificial
1. He’s a God with Indescribable Generosity
1. Incarnation/Sacrificial -
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
2. Bottomless/unsearchable/rich in mercy
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
Sacrificial -
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
Original Plan reflects
Unconditional Love
Adopting Love
Indescribable Generosity
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
NIV
Original Plan reflects
- Kindness & Intimacy
- Unconditional Love
- Adopting Love
- Pursuing
Relentless
Indescribable Generosity -
Pursuing… (doesn’t wait)
Grace and Mercy defined
Grace and Mercy defined
The Present of The Presence
Far Reaching ...into our tomorrow’s
Relentless
Bottomless/Unsearchable
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Rich in MERCY - wealth of mercy is unprecedented
NIV
Grace and Mercy defined
The Present of The Presence
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Far Reaching ...into our tomorrow’s
NIV
Relentless
Bottomless/Unsearchable
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.
NIV
1. Incarnation/Sacrificial -
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
Bottomless/unsearchable/rich in mercy
2. Bottomless/unsearchable/rich in mercy
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
3. Indescribable
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Conclusion
Sum Up
SUggestion
Spin Around
Stop