The Challenge of Generosity
The New Testament Challenge • Sermon • Submitted
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The Change
At the end of our time on earth, our life will be defined with one of two words.
It will either be defined by the word “greed” or “generosity”.
That choice is going to be up to us. So which one do you want to define your life?
In fact, I want you to see a memory verse.
It’s from Acts 20:35, and I hope this week you will invest the time in memorizing this passage.
It’s one of the few recorded words of Jesus that we find outside of the Gospels.
We find it in Acts 20:35. “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus. It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
I want to make sure you remember this because that’s what the memory verse says.
Be sure you remember that it is more blessed, or depending on where you are from, bless-ed, to give than to receive.
It is really more blessed to give than to receive.
That’s when our few words come in—generosity and greed.
And when I think about greed, I think about living with a closed fist. It’s a life of greed.
This is really the dominant lifestyle that is being lived in our society.
We live in a society that is saturated with greed.
It’s closed fist living.
It’s where we say it’s mine. It’s mine. It’s mine. It’s mine. And you can’t have it.
But there is an alternative.
There is a counter cultural way to live.
The lifestyle of the New Testament is to live a life of open handed living.
It’s a life of generosity. A life where you say—God, what you have given me, is Yours. It’s Yours. It’s Yours. It’s Yours. It’s Yours.
And I’m going to use what You have given me and I’m going to make a difference with it for Your glory.
Why would you want to change?
So, let me ask you: why would you want to live a generous life?
Why would you want to choose open-handed living?
Why would you want to focus more on serving others than serving yourself?
Maybe…
You just believe it’s the right thing to do
You want to be remembered for being generous
It’s about what you can do here. You want to be a part of something truly great.
You genuinely think a generous life will give you the best life
I can tell you why you should do it, but it helps to stop for a second and ask yourself: why might I want to do it?
Here’s what drives me:
Ultimately, there is a difference between living a generous life and a greed-filled life.
Greed is life-draining. But generosity is life giving.
Greed, at the end of the day, is a win-lose proposition. But generosity is a win-win proposition.
Greed is the key to paranoia. You are always afraid that somebody is going to take what you have.
But generosity is the key to prosperity. Using what you have been given to make a difference.
Greed is eventually dehydrating and it robs you of life. But generosity is contagious and gives life.
Greed limits you. Generosity opens you up to incredible opportunities.
Let me show you what I mean.
[Liberty Mutual Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5ya8J-jyK4]
So generosity is contagious.
And this isn’t just an idea. This is biologically proven.
When you do something generous, your body produces a hormone called “oxytocin.” It’s this feel-good hormone, just like endorphins and dopamine.
Except, the amazing thing about oxytocin is that, unlike endorphins and dopamine, it’s long-lasting. It gives us lasting satisfaction.
When we are a part of helping others, loving others, we get this long-lasting effect.
But here’s what’s even more amazing about it. Oxytocin is contagious.
What I mean by that is that it’s like what we saw in the commercial.
Oxytocin is released not only when we do something kind.
It’s released when we see something kind being done.
It’s why we cry when we see some incredible act of love, because this hormone is released in our bodies.
And it drives us to want more of that feeling.
Which means that when we see other people doing things that are changing lives and helping others, our bodies react in a way that drives us to do the same.
So when you live a generous life, not only do the chemicals in your body drive you to increase that generosity over time, your life also inspires other people to do the same.
And the good thing you did becomes the great thing we do. That’s the power of generosity!
I think it’s possible for you and I to create a generosity revolution in our city.
And I believe it can start right here, right now. If you decided to live a life of generosity, if I decided to live a life of generosity, if all of us at Lynnhaven UMC decided to live a life of generosity, I believe we could change our city.
I believe we could change our culture. And I don’t think it’s too far a stretch to say we could change our world.
So, ask yourself - just take a moment to really think about this - how ready am I to start living a generous life?
There’s a box for this in your [message notes.]
Check totally ready, kinda ready, unsure, not ready, never will be ready
What’s interesting to think about is that, whatever box you checked, you didn’t check a lesser box
If you checked kinda ready, it’s important to note that you didn’t check unsure
Even if you checked not ready, you didn’t check never will be ready
Jesus said, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)
Whatever box you checked, that’s the seed that God can grow.
Today, I’m going to help you know how to do that.
The way we’re going to do it is by looking at one of the greatest stories of generosity in all of scripture.
And I know what you might be thinking: this is a money sermon
Of course, we’re going to talk about financial generosity
You can’t talk generosity and not talk about that
But we’re going to go beyond that, and we’re going to talk about what it looks like to live a life where every aspect of who you are is generous
Where your life is full of oxytocin
Because of who you are.
Jesus shows us how to do that in this story.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Intro)
So, to give you a little context for this story, let’s look at some of the verses leading into it.
Open your Bible up to Luke’s Gospel [explain Luke]
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
So, right off the bat, this is a big question.
It says here that the person asking a question is an “expert in the law”
Now, this doesn’t meant he’d gone to law school and understood the constitution
This is talking about the Jewish Law, the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible and what God said about how the Jewish people are supposed to live.
And he’s asking a new question: What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Now, when you hear that question, what do you think?
Your first thought is probably that he’s asking “what do I do to get into heaven”
But that’s not how people in Jesus’ day would have thought
For most of history, the Jewish people didn’t believe in a life after death.
You just died.
This idea of going to heaven or hell after you die didn’t exist.
Now, people in Jesus’ day did believe in heaven - but even then, they were still refining what they believed that meant.
So When this man asks “how do I inherit eternal life” he’s not just asking how do I get into heaven
He’s asking “how do I inherit the eternal life?
He’s talking about something that doesn’t just begin when he dies
He’s talking about something he can experience now
A true connection with God
A life that transcends time because he is connected to the one who transcends time
And for Jesus, the answer is simple
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 The teacher answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
28 In other words, the law can be summed up in two commands
Love God with all that you are
A“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
nd love your neighbor as yourself
If you can do those things, you’ll naturally be living out all of the more specific laws
God will be the center of your life; God’s love will flow through you; you’ll have eternal life.
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
So, he wants to be sure that he’s doing this
Because how easy is it for us to think: “oh yah, I love God more than anything”?
“I love my neighbor; I do”
But this man wants be sure; so he says “who is my neighbor”
Let me be sure I’m loving him; let me be sure I’m loving her
Which is a good question
And this is where Jesus begins his story…
3 Keys to Generosity (pt 1)
Luke 10 (cont)
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
So, in just a few verses, we see the first of the 3 Keys to Generosity that Jesus reveals: 1) Be generous with your time.
What’s so significant about the Samaritan is that he stops
The other religious leaders - the priest and the Levite - just keep walking
But the Samaritan stops
Truthfully, for many of us, our life impact would increase exponentially if we simply just stopped every now and then
Story
[Painting with ForKids story]
It was simply the act of stopping to be with that little girl that changed her life.
Examples
Stop and ask a co-worker how they’re doing
Stop and talk to someone as you pass by, even if you’re in a hurry (if you’re anything like me, you’re always in a hurry)
Stop and talk to the person who’s asking for money; treat them like they’re worth not just your money, but your time.
Evaluate your day tomorrow, regularly asking yourself, where can I stop and be generous with my time?
How are you being generous with your time when it comes to…
Your kids
Your spouse
Your friends
Your relationship with God
Your brothers and sisters in Christ
Then act on it
in Ephesians 2:10, it says, “God has made us what we are, in Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works. Which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.”
So if you want to live life at the highest level, you have to use what you have been given to do good works.
You have to take time to share your gifts and share yourself with people
Maybe God’s calling you to do that right here
Maybe you have
Ability to connect with kids - or just time to be with kids
Ability to do hard work
Can you read at a 3rd grade level - you can tutor
Can you move a spoon? - you can serve at JCOC
Photography skills?
PPT Skills?
Do you have a nice smile? (greeter)
Creative ideas? (help plan worship, create videos, etc.)
God has made you who you are so you can be a blessing to others
So you can love them as you love yourself
And experience eternal life through that
And share eternal life through that
This is what the Samaritan does
But that’s not all the Samaritan does
3 Keys to Generosity (part 2)
Luke 10 (cont)
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
In this we see the second key to generosity…2) Be generous with your resources.
It doesn’t say if the man is rich or poor
All we know is that he pays for his hotel, he pays his doctor bills
He’s generous with what he has so this total stranger can live
That’s what makes this story so powerful.
even if you are here and you have never read the Bible, or never been to church before, I bet you have heard the phrase, Good Samaritan.
Because it has made it into our culture.
[Reference Seinfeld finale - what law do they break?]
What makes this story so memorable is that his generosity is so extreme.
He does what no one else would do
Pays for his hotel?
Pays his medical bills?
When have you ever heard of that happening?
If you have, you remember, b/c it was powerful
The life change is obvious
And people are empowered and inspired by that.
Because, here’s the thing: a little generosity goes a long way
For example, I just want you to see the impact of a little generosity…
if a church averages 200 adults on a Sunday,
and the average adult makes 35,000 a year
Which some of you may think - that’s really low
Others might think: I wish I made that much
and every one of those people tithed
(Salary = $35,000, Tithe = $3,500/year, which is $67/week -
which is less than it costs for a family of four to eat out at most restaurants,
less than it costs to get your hair done (not my hair...your hair),
less than it costs to buy a pair of shoes or jeans,
less than most people spend on gas,
less than your kid spends if you give them your itunes password) -
if each adult gave that much, or that little, depending on where you’re coming from,
a church would have $700,000 in resources to use for God’s purposes over the course of the year.
$700,000!
Think of what you could do with that.
This church has never had a budget that large.
Think of what impact that could have on our community.
Think of how that could address hunger and poverty.
Think of how that could be used to spread the word about Jesus.
Think of what kind of global impact that could have.
Think of what it would be like to be part of something that was doing that much good.
And this is what’s so amazing about it - it’s a pretty low number.
Especially for where we live: a tithe on $35,000/year, that’s a low number.
Most people around here make more than that.
But that’s the beauty of generosity.
When everyone chips in, the sacrifice of each person is small, but the overall impact is huge!
And think of how others respond when they see that
When they see a church making that much of a difference in the community
When they see what generosity can do
When that oxytocin begins to flow
Inspiration builds inspiration
Generosity inspires generosity
The story of people’s lives changes - because we were generous
And I don’t think that is too far fetched.
Because if you look back almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus started with 11 disciples,
and it was 11 that led to 120,
And the 120 that led to 3,000,
and then eventually 3,000 led to tens of thousands,
And within 300 years, Christians made up 50% of the population
because they lived their lives in an open handed way,
they said—God, what’s mine is Yours. And I’m going to freely give it to the people around me.
God did it with 11 people 2,000 years ago.
Surely God can do it today with the 100s of people who are going to be coming through our church and are involved in the New Testament Challenge
God’s inviting us to create a revolution.
We can change the defining word of a generation, the word of greed to the word of generosity.
But there’s one more thing we have to do to make that happen
3 Keys to Generosity (part 3)
Luke 10 (cont)
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
That word “mercy,” that’s the key to this whole story
And it’s the final key to living a generous life
3) Be generous with God’s grace.
You see, there’s on thing about this story that most people don’t know
Something that’s not obvious unless you know the history
It’s entirely likely that the Samaritan hated the man who was hurt
You see, for centuries, there was not just tension, but hatred towards the Jews and the Samaritans
Here’s what happened…
Hundreds of years before, the Jews were sent into exile by the Babylonians
They were conquered, taken captive, and kicked out of their land
Years later, even when they were allowed to return to their home, not all of them could return
Some were too poor, too injured, too sick to return to Jerusalem
Because of that, they never got to worship in the temple again
Which, ultimately, meant that the way they worshipped God began to change
Just like Catholics think the Protestants get it wrong, and Methodists think the baptists get it wrong - Jews thought the Samaritans got it wrong
Over time, the tension between the groups became so strong, it began to get violent
Some Jews didn’t even travel through Samaria because they were afraid for their lives
Now, this Samaritan is traveling in Jewish land
Jews were terrified of Samaritans
They vilified them
This is what makes the story so shocking
Because the villain is the one who is showing God’s grace
Not the priest, not the Levite
Not the people who are supposed to represent God
The Samaritan; the heretic; the bad guy
What Jesus is saying is: this is what God’s grace looks like
This is what eternal life looks like
The walls in our life come down
Our pride is erased
We’re no longer focused on why we shouldn’t help someone
Or if they deserve it
Or what they’ll do with it
We’re only focused on showing God’s grace
Loving God with everything we’ve got
And loving our neighbors as ourselves - no matter who they are!
This is what’s at the heart of generosity
We aren’t worthy of the grace God showed us
We aren’t worthy of Jesus’ death on the cross
We aren’t worthy of the salvation Jesus gives us
I’m not saying you’re a bad person
I’m just saying, how could we ever be worthy of those things?
What could we do to earn them?
Nothing
That’s what makes it grace - it’s a love and a generosity from God that we don’t deserve
And jesus is saying, that’s how you experience eternal life
That’s how you taste heaven on earth
You love like God loves
With radical, generous, undeserved, agape love!
We have a chance to be part of a generosity revolution.
God’s not expecting you to do it.
God’s expecting “us” to do it.
This is what the church is.
We’re the proof that Jesus died.
We’re the proof that he rose again.
We’re the proof that God’s Kingdom is coming to earth and things don’t have to be the same.
We’re the proof that this isn’t just a story of what happened; it’s a story of what’s happening.
We’re ushering in a generosity revolution.
How are you going to be part of it?
How are you going to make sure you life matters?
How are you going to love God with your whole heart?
How are you going to love your neighbor as yourself?
We began with the question: how ready are you to live a generous life?
I want you to ask yourself that question again.
Then I want you to specifically think about what that looks like to really step it up in living that kind of life today
[CC - we want you to be able to take practical steps]
Generous with time by volunteering in the following area…
Generous with financial resources by automating your giving
Generous with God’s grace by sharing it, inviting others to hear about it by inviting them to church