Imitating God's Generosity

Imitating God’s Generosity

This morning, we’re going to continue our sermon series on “Doing Church Biblically.” Typically, our sermons will go passage by passage through a particular book of the Bible. But these sermons are a bit unique because they’re really functioning as a church membership class that’s designed to prepare those who are interested to start Redeeming Grace Church on October 23. And so, instead of going through a book of the Bible, these sermons are aimed at specific topics related to church membership. 

And one thing we’re trying to do is approach all of these topics in light of the gospel. You see, the gospel doesn’t just get us to heaven and nothing more. It’s not something just that helps us go to the right place when we die but until then it’s pretty much business as usual. No. In reality, the gospel is organically connected to all of the practical concerns and issues we face in our day-to-day lives. Here’s what I mean. A lot of people imagine their lives kind of like this. There are numerous components or elements that make up their lives—things like marriage and sex, things like their career, things like money, parenting, recreation, dreams and ambitions, as well as various challenges that come up in life. And then, in addition to all of those other elements of their life, they have their spiritual life. And that’s the part of their life that’s mainly affected by the gospel. But that’s actually not at all the way it is. You see, the gospel isn’t something that affects one portion or one component of our life. It affects everything. So really, life looks a lot more like this. The gospel’s at the center; it’s the hub of the wheel. And it’s organically connected to everything else. It’s connected to marriage and sex, it’s connected to our career, our money, and our parenting. It’s even connected to our recreation as well as our dreams and ambitions and the challenges we face in life. It’s connected to everything. That’s what we mean around here when you hear us talk about being “gospel-centered.” We mean that the gospel is the center. We view everything in light of the gospel. 

And the topic we’re going to address both this week and next week is money……..Okay, that’s good. Nobody walked out. Just checking. Because I recognize that many people think churches talk way too much about money. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, “I’m not involved in church because they’re always trying to get my money. That’s all they care about—reaching their hands into people’s pockets.” And let me just say, I can sympathize with that. It seems like many churches make it very easy to think that. That’s one of the reasons I personally don’t think it’s appropriate for a church to do a fundraiser in the community. We, inside the church, should be the ones giving generously and taking care of things financially. In fact, that’s one of the ways a church displays the power of the gospel—by being known for our own generosity, not by going around town with a coffee can trying to convince others to give money.  So I don’t think churches should be trying to get people’s money. But I do think churches should talk about money and help those within the church view their money and handle their money in a biblical way. 

You know, it may surprise you how much Jesus talked about money. The New Testament records Jesus teaching 38 parables. Guess how many are about money? 16. Almost half of his parables are directly related to how to handle money and possessions. If you start counting the actual verses, you discover that Jesus’ teachings about money account for 15% of his teachings. Jesus actually talked more about money than he did about heaven and hell combined. So since this is the first time I’ve ever talked about money in the year and a half of teaching this group, I think I probably need to repent before you all, because I haven’t given this topic the attention the Bible gives it. 

Also, let me make it clear that my goal here isn’t to simply convince you to give more money to the church. God will provide for our church’s needs. My goal is actually much bigger and more audacious than that. It’s to change the entire way we think about money. And I’d like to do that by connecting money to the gospel, like we just talked about. I want to help us understand how the gospel message about who Jesus is and what he’s done should affect the way we approach money.

And the main idea I’d like to drive home is this: God’s generosity toward us leads us to be generous toward others. God’s generosity toward us leads us to be generous toward others. Turn with me John 3:16. If you’re using The Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 736. This is a very famous verse, and I’d like to look at it from a perspective that may be new to you. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Think about what we learn about God’s generosity from that. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” There are three characteristics of God’s generosity I believe we can see from this verse. God’s generosity is undeserved, God’s generosity is abundant, and God’s generosity and costly.

God’s Generosity Is Undeserved

First, it’s undeserved. This verse talks about how God sent his own Son. But why did he need to do that? Why did he need to send his Son Jesus to this earth? Well, the Bible answers that question very directly. God sent his Son because we were in a really messed up condition. We were in a state of sinful rebellion against God and totally deserving of his punishment. Titus 3:3 states that “we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” That’s what we were. And because of that, the only thing we deserved was punishment. 

So often, we’re tempted to think that God owes us something, like it’s his job to bless us. “God, why haven’t you given me this?” We feel somehow entitled to God’s goodness and blessings in our lives. But when you think about it, God doesn’t owe us anything except punishment. Hopefully you realize that if you and I got what we deserve, we’d all go to hell. But here’s the thing—here’s what makes the gospel such good news. Even in our undeserving and “ill-deserving” state, God has shown us extraordinary generosity. And John 3:16 talks about that generosity. Also, turn over real quick to Luke 15. If you’re using The Story Bibles, it’s on page 724. I want you to see a picture of this generosity. Luke 15:11-24: 

“And [Jesus] said, "There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.” And then it goes on to describe the jealousy of the older brother, which is another important point of the parable. But for our purposes today, I’d like us to just marvel at how generous the father is to this younger son even though the son deserved nothing. That’s the way in which God’s generous toward us. His generosity is undeserved.

God’s Generosity Is Abundant

Secondly, God’s generosity is not only undeserved, it’s also abundant. God’s been abundantly generous towards us. Take a moment and think about all the things you enjoy on a daily basis that are so easy to take for granted. The Bible says in James 1:17 that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” Right now, it’s that time of year when all of the leaves are about to change color. We’re about to see red leaves and yellow leaves and orange leaves and all different shades of those colors. And that’s all from God. He’s the one who makes the leaves change those colors, and he’s the one who gives us eyes to see them. God could have designed us so that we could only see in black and white, but he didn’t. He enabled us to see colors. And really, he let us see, period. Also think about all the smells you enjoy and even the flavors you get to taste. One of the things I like to do is swing by the Burger King drive thru up on Brownsville and get one of their fifty cent ice cream cones. I love those things. And at a price like that, it’s almost bad stewardship not to get one. And I’ll frequently think to myself, “God thank you for this ice cream cone.” It’s such a simple thing, but it’s amazing. God lets us enjoy so many cool things in his abundant generosity. 

And of course the greatest thing we enjoy, the most stunning example of the abundance of God’s generosity, is what we find written in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God sent his Son so we could have “eternal life.” Wow. And that phrase “eternal life” doesn’t just refer to the duration of the life—that it lasts forever. It refers to the quality of that life. Jesus gives us a life in relationship with him that’s unlike anything we’ve ever known before. In Ephesians 1, Paul actually lists out many of those blessings. He starts off in Ephesians 1:3 with the statement that God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Then he spends the next 11 verses listing off those blessings—things like being chosen by God, being holy and blameless before God, being adopted into God’s family, being redeemed through Christ’s blood, being forgiven of all our trespasses, being given an inheritance, and even being given the Holy Spirit of that inheritance. God really goes all out. He doesn’t hold anything back. Kind of like the father in that parable of the rebellious son we just looked at. When his son came back, he said, “Dress him in the best robe, put a ring on his finger, and go get the calf because we’re going to throw a huge party and feed everyone steak.” I mean, this guy doesn’t hold back, and God’s not stingy either. He’s abundant in his generosity. 

What about you? Are you stingy or are you generous? Do you live like someone who’s never been on the receiving end of generosity in your life or do you live like someone who’s been shown abundant generosity from God? If you’re a stingy person, I want you to know this morning: that’s a spiritual issue. You apparently haven’t truly grasped the abundance of God’s generosity towards you.

God’s Generosity Is Costly

Wait a second, though. That sounds like it might be a little expensive sometimes. If I live a generous lifestyle, I might not be able to make as many “me” purchases. And if you said that, you’d be correct in your observation. Generosity can be costly. And as we see in John 3:16, God’s generosity certainly was. So having looked first at how God’s generosity is undeserved and second at how his generosity is abundant, let’s now look at how God’s generosity is costly. Back to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” So what did God give? His own Son. Think about that. If you’re a parent, think about how much you value your children. Like if someone kidnapped your child, what would you do to get them back? If you knew it would guarantee their safe return, I’m guessing you’d probably give away everything you own. That’s how much they mean to you. And God feels the same way. 

Yet, as John 3:16 says, he gave us his only Son so that we could be saved. He sent his own Son to suffer the agony of the cross in order to pay for our sins. Somebody had to take that penalty. Somebody had to bear that punishment. But Jesus bore it in our place. 1 John 4:10 states, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” That’s a big theological word, isn’t it? Propitiation. That means appeasing the wrath of God, satisfying the wrath of God. So God was righteously angry with us because of our sin, but then he provided a sacrifice to appease himself. And that sacrifice was his own Son. So yes, generosity is costly. 

Conclusion

But as we think about God’s generosity, is there really any other way we can respond than being a generous person ourselves? Not because we feel guilty, not because some pastor twisted our arms in church one Sunday, but simply because we’re joyful and grateful for what God’s done and the incredible generosity he’s shown. 

Unfortunately, many times, we’re so caught up in the American dream that we don’t think we can afford to be generous. The guy who’s making $10 an hour thinks, “Maybe when I’m making $15 an hour, I could afford to be generous.” Meanwhile, the guy who’s making $15 an hour thinks, “Okay, maybe when I get a salary job, I could afford to be generous.” Then the guy who has the salary job is thinking, “Okay, maybe when I get a six-figure salary job, I could afford to be generous. And, of course, the guy who has a six-figure salary job is waiting to be a multi-millionaire before he can afford to be generous. Listen to me: as long as your heart is still clinging to your material possessions, you’ll never be able to “afford” to be generous. Because it’s not an income issue. It’s a heart issue. And the Bible has a very simple word for it. The Bible calls it “greed.” I don’t think many of us typically think of ourselves as greedy people. But let me ask you something: In your assessment of whether or not you’re greedy, who are you comparing yourself to? Is it possible you’re just comparing yourself to other greedy people and you think you’re good because you’re no worse than them, while in reality you’re all greedy? You see, corporate CEO’s aren’t the only ones who can be greedy. The majority of greedy people are people just like you and me. In fact, so often, they are you and me.

We just need this, and we’ve gotta have that. Isn’t that what we’re told over and over again by the advertisements we see?  Isn’t the purpose of these advertisements to convince us that we need all these different things? So how can we not be affected by that when we’re surrounded by it all the time? I know how it is. I’ll be driving down the road in my 2003 Honda Civic, and I’ll see a billboard for a nice BMW. And I’ll glance down at the part of my door where the upholstery’s beginning to tear, and I’ll look back up at the BMW and be like, “Man, I sure would like to be driving that.” Then I’ll continue driving down the highway with the billboard now a good distance behind me, but I’ll still be thinking about it. I mean, my 2003 Civic may get me where I need to go, but maybe it is about time for new car.” 

You know, there’s nothing wrong with having nice things. There’s really not. But if you start to get too attached to those nice things and you’re not able to show others the abundant generosity that God’s shown you, that’s an issue. Because it’s so easy to cross the line from having nice things to hoarding nice things. I think of my three-year-old son, Caleb, and how he used to put all of the living room toys onto the couch so that his little brother, Silas, who couldn’t walk yet wouldn’t be able to reach them. I mean, Silas would be down on the floor with nothing to play with except his own feet, and there would be this pile of toys on the couch. And Caleb would only be playing with one or two of them, but he wanted them all up there so he wouldn’t have to share anything. He was a greedy little man. But as we think about God’s generosity, it should make us different than that. It should make us so grateful that we want to be generous to others.

And interestingly, God has even given us a standard for generosity. It’s called a “tithe.” And the word “tithe” literally means a tenth, that is 10%. So if someone says they’re tithing to the church, but really they’re only giving 50 dollars a month, they’re not really tithing…unless their income is 500 dollars a month. They may be giving, but they’re not tithing, because tithing is 10%. And that’s the standard the Bible gives us. Abraham gave a tithe, the Old Testament Law commanded Israelites to give a tithe, and then Jesus himself affirmed the tithe. So the tithe has extensive biblical support. And that’s very wise of God to give us a model like that so we don’t think we’re generous when in fact we’re not. Have you ever known an elderly person who perhaps grew up during the Great Depression and thinks that a little is a lot? Like they’ll go to a restaurant and leave a tip of one or two dollars and think they’ve been really generous? Well, let me ask you something. How do you know that’s not you? Well, restaurants have suggested guidelines and so does God. He tells us that 10% is a good starting point. So if you become a member of the church, that’s what we ask you to strive to do. One of the things on our church covenant that our members sign onto is “practicing generosity by giving a tithe (10%) of income at minimum or actively pursuing that level of giving.” 

And like I said before, my goal isn’t to shame you or pressure you into anything. My prayer is that this sermon will help us understand how the gospel connects to our money and then start handling our money in light of that gospel message. God has loved us and been generous to us and given us so much—even his own Son. So shouldn’t we, as Christians, be people who are known for their generosity? What a natural way to respond to God’s generosity, and what a testimony to the world about our generous God.