Sermon Tone Analysis

*40 Days of Community*

*Part 6*

* *

*Living A Generous Life*

 

Transcript of Message by Rick Warren

November 6-7, 2004

 

This message was on Rick’s heart to preach for our congregation at Saddleback this week.

It includes discussion of our upcoming capital campaign, some personal and congregational stories of giving, and a time of communion.

It may not be an appropriate message for your congregation at this time.

If you prefer a message that is more in line with the theme of “Worshiping Together”, please refer to the alternate message posted to the website called “How to Tell God You Love Him”.

*NOTE:*  This “Living a Generous Life” message is based on the same outline as is used in the Week 6 lesson for the small groups, so be aware that the same content will be taught by Rick Warren by video this week.

If you decide to use this sermon, an explanatory email is provided on the Small Groups page that will help your hosts prepare for their lesson with this duplication in mind.

Good morning everybody!

It's good to see you.

If you will take out your message notes.

For the past 6 weeks we've been in the series on “40 Days of Community,” building relationships, how to deepen the sense of community in our church family, particularly in our small groups, and reach out to the community around our church family.

The word for community in the Bible is the word  'fellowship'.

Fellowship has been what we've been talking about for the last 5 weeks.

And the word 'fellowship' in the Bible is a Greek word.

It's the word 'koinonia'.

Let's say it together.

Koinonia.

Koinonia is such an important word.

It's translated many different ways.

Because like a diamond that has many multiple facets to it, so does fellowship.

And in the Bible ‑‑  you will notice there on your outline that koinonia is translated not as just fellowship, but it's also translated as community.

I gave you one example.

There are a lot more examples.

There are a lot more of these.

It's translated as participation.

Koinoneo is translated as contribution.

And koinoneo is translated as generosity.

This is important because all four of these are essential elements of fellowship.

If you and I are going to have fellowship together, there has to be a sense of community.

There has to be participation on my part and your part.

There has to be a contribution, where I make a contribution in your life and you have to make a contribution in my life.

And there has to be generosity.

You cannot have community without generosity.

We are generous with our time and with our energy and with our money and resources in all the different parts of our lives.

So you really cannot enjoy community without these other things, participation, contribution and generosity.

Let me show you a few examples from the Bible.

If you look up here on the screen, the first verse is Philippians 4:15.

It says, /"You became my partners in giving."

/ That phrase, 'partners in giving,' is one word in Greek.

It's the word 'koinoneo.'

'Partners in giving' is the same word for 'fellowship.'

And then in Hebrews 13:16,/ "Keep doing good in sharing your resources."/

That phrase, 'sharing your resources,' that's the word for 'community'.

That's the word for 'fellowship'.

It's koinoneo.

And then the next one, 2 Corinthians 8:4, /"They begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people."

/  That phrase, 'joy of  giving their money' actually is the word for fellowship,  for koinoneo ‑‑ for community, koinoneo.

And then one more, 1 Timothy 6:18, /"Be generous and willing to share."

/ And that phrase there, 'willing to share,' is just one word in the original ‑‑ in the Bible.

It's the word 'koinoneo.'

And so you can't have community without generosity.

And we cannot complete our study of community without looking at how to be more generous with each other.

I read an interesting quote this week.

Carl Meninger, the famous psychiatrist who founded the world‑famous Meninger Psychiatric clinic, said this:  "Generosity is one of the essential components of mental health.

We have found that generous people are rarely mentally ill."

Generous people are rarely mentally ill.

So today, in the interest of the mental health of those sitting on either side of you, we are going to look at how to be more generous with each other after this song.

[Song performed]

 

All right.

Why does God want us to learn to be generous with each other?

Well, there are seven wonderful and incredible benefits in my life that I like when God says that I am generous with other people.

Here they are.

Number one, generosity *creates COMMUNITY*.

Generosity creates community.

2 Corinthians 9 tells us, /"your generosity not only provides for the needs of God's people, but also produces prayers of thanksgiving to God."/

When we are generous to each other, we thank God for each other and are drawn closer to each other.

Randy Frazee learned about the connection between generosity and community from his unchurched neighbor.

He says, /"My neighbor asked if he could borrow my ladder.

I said, of course.

I later learned he had one of his own.

He didn't need to borrow my ladder.

He just used it as a way to build our relationship.

And when he borrowed my stuff, it made me feel that I was needed, and I liked that feeling.

I have now learned to do the same thing with my other neighbors.

My other neighbor, Randy, has a Shop Vac, and I borrow it every Friday night to clean my car with my son.

In fact, now Roger leaves it out for me.

I told Roger recently that I could afford to buy my own Shop Vac, but I just like the interaction of borrowing his.

Roger asked me to please not buy one for myself."

/

 

See, he can now see the connection between generosity and community.

You see, the Bible says this.

Look at the next verse, Matthew 6, read it with me.

/"Your heart will be wherever your treasure is."/

In other words, wherever I put my time,  my money, my effort and my energy, wherever I invest myself, that's what is going to attract me.

My money tends to be a magnet.

In other words, if you want to get a heart for Microsoft, buy some stock.

It's real simple.

The moment you buy stock in Microsoft, you will be very interested in that company.

The same is true where if you want to be interested in United States of America's economy, buy treasury bills.

And as the economy goes up and down, you will be very interested in the American economy if you are buying treasury bills.

You see, wherever you put your time and money, that's where your heart is.

So for many of you your heart is in your boat.

That's where you are putting your time, money and energy.

Or your heart may be in your home.

You are putting your time, your money in it fixing it up.

Or your heart may be in your work.

That's where you are putting your time, your money and your energy.