The Blessed Life
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Good Morning and Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry, my wife Michelle and I serve as the lead pastor here at Freedom Chapel. We exist to bring hope to our community we do that by being a Place to Belong, Church for the Whole Family.
Here are a few things you need to know......
Over the course of the last year God has been really speaking to me about Generosity. I feel like every where I turn God has been testing, teaching, and revealing to me new truths about His call and desire for His people to return to a Heart for Generosity.
Over the course of the next several weeks we are going to be studying the Principles of Generosity I have learned through various teachers. My two primary sources for this series are The Bible and Robert Morris’ Book the Blessed Life. Now before you shut me off or make plans to miss the next several week I ask you to stop and hear me out. I believe that what we are about to embark on will fundamentally change your life and allow God to take you places you have never gone in your walk with Him.
Before we start this journey I want to prepare you for what the series is, and what it is not.
Turn with me to the book of Matthew Chapter 7.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Does anyone here see anything in this passage involving money.
Now turn with me to Luke 6:37-38
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
There are only two occasions in my life I have heard this scripture quoted:
When someone is living a Sinful lifestyle that they don’t want to be called out on.
When someone is taking up an offering.
This scripture is not about money. It is about Generosity.
What you are Generous with is what will be given to you Generously.
This in not a series where I am going to teach give to get.
This is a series where we learn to give to give.
I believe that generosity is a process on which we build upon from the moment we are saved and continue to work though our entire walk with God.
Today we are going to start with the Foundation.
The Foundation of a the Heart.
The Foundation of a the Heart.
Recently, Michelle and I were asked to join Jackie and Seth, to visit a couple we had never met out in the country for pastoral care. For those of you who don’t know my background I have been involved in construction most of my life and have extensive training in identifying issues with homes. They purchased this home with the intentions of DIYing the remodel of their dreams. The had already done a quite a bit of work on the main floor of the home. Like all wives do she began to apologize about the appearance of her home the work they were doing....... Then Jackie told them I was a home inspector. The topic changed to the condition of the houses foundation...........
This brings me to the first message of this series. In order for us to truly embrace the power of Generosity and it’s ability to unlock a life of blessing we have to begin to fix the foundational issues of our hearts. Turn with me to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 15.
God set nation of Isreal apart from the other nations. They were not to look like the others, worship what others worshipped, or live like the other nations. He gave them a list of instructions that if followed would allow Him to bless his people. If broken it left them open to the curse of sin and darkness.
Lets look at
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.
The first foundational piece of our hearts that we must repair is a selfish heart.
Repair a selfish heart.
We are born Selfish.
Story of Seth and Micah.
We are born Selfish but we are born again into Generosity. Robert Morris
Selfishness comes before we give.
2. Repair a grieving heart.
You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
I meant to get some cash today so I could take my family out to lunch.
This comes after we give.
The way to deal with the grieving heart is to realize that none of what I have was mine in the first place.
3. Develop a generous heart.
You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
We are born selfish but we are born again Generous.
Seth and Micah............
You know what God would like to speak to us this morning. “When are you going to grow up and stop being selfish.”
When you get home today go read Luke 6 Jesus is teaching this idea of giving without expectation.
Seth and the candy store.
At some point we have to go from a mentality of Lord that is mine and grow up and say Lord what do you want me to give.
4. Develop a grateful heart.
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.
Every now and then we need to be reminded what God delivered us from.
Outside of Christ we have nothing.
I have read story after story of generosity. Robert Morris and Craig Groeschel to name a few. Big name Pastors that give so much away and their stories of generosity all come out of gratefulness for what God delivered them from.
Would you bow your heads with me this morning.
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