This week Pastor Chris and an elder, Eric Jones, tag-teamed our morning service teaching about living generously. While the world tells us to hold on our earthly possessions, our time and our money, God tells us to live generously and in turn, be blessed. The believer’s motivation for living generously is out of the overflow of God’s generosity toward to us.
Proverbs 11:24–25 (NLT)
24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. 25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
1. God’s Overwhelmingly Generosity
The generosity of God in creation.
Acts 14:17 (ESV)
17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
Psalm 19:1 (MSG)
1 God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
James 1:17 (ESV)
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
The generosity of God in salvation.
Ephesians 1:4–5 (ESV)
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
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.
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
2. We are Created to Live Generously.
LIFE ~ Labor, Influence, Finances, Expertise
Benefits of Generosity
• Generosity transforms us spiritually.
• Generosity shows the world Christ is alive.
“The early church was strikingly different from the culture… the pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.” Tim Keller
• Generosity allows us to invest into things that matter.
3. Generous People Break Through
Luke 12:15 (ESV)
15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
• Covetousness “is an insatiable desire for worldly gain.” The spirit of covetousness leads to and is the mother of many other sins.
Colossians 3:5 (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (NKJV)
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
• Think Generously (Mind)
• Live Generously (Will)
• Give Generously (Emotions)
Discussion Questions:
- Pastor Chris discussed several ways God shows His generosity to all of us. What are some specific ways God has been overwhelmingly generous to you?
- Spend some time discussing how you are spending your LIFE ~ Labor, Influence, Finances, Expertise. Do you like how you are currently spending each of these areas of your life? What would you like to change or grow in?
- Colossians 3:5 draws a connection between covetousness and idolatry. Can you see this connection in your own life?
Application Questions:
- Sit with the Lord this week to reflect and pray about the ways you are spending your LIFE ~ Labor, Influence, Finances, Expertise. Ask God to show how he wants you to spend each of these areas and where there is room for greater generosity.