[SPEAKER_00]: Open up to Romans chapter 12.
[SPEAKER_00]: We were in Romans chapter 12 when I left in June and we are going through spiritual gifts.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a list there which I've slowed up because I felt like, okay, these are important for us to kind of slow up.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to get a lot quicker in the days ahead, but I want to slow up to show off the gifts and what they, what do we know about spiritual gifts?
[SPEAKER_00]: The things we know about spiritual gifts is that they are given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at conversion.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have been gifted or empowered, why are you empowered?
[SPEAKER_00]: You are given the gift of empowerment to help the Church accomplish the mission while on earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that mission is evangelizing, getting the word out, and discipling, mentoring people.
[SPEAKER_00]: We say it like this at our church, Amy said it earlier.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's that we declare Jesus, and we develop Jesus followers.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that the expectation from God is that you will use it in this church, the church that you belong, so that we get the gospel out in the rockford area and that we help other members, redeemer members grow spiritually, not accidentally.
[SPEAKER_00]: intentionally.
[SPEAKER_00]: You are intentional about discipling and mentoring people in this church, which is why even in our field guide, we have the path to discipleship which we're encouraging you to take people through, because as you meet together, as you talk about Jesus Christ, as you work through scriptures, good things happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like gathering around God's Word being preached, good things happen, and we are individually instructed to do these things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you go, well, I can't do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, you can't do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why it's called an empowerment.
[SPEAKER_00]: You need a spiritual gift, so you've been given that gift.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why don't feel very empowered?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where you have to trust that the Lord has given that to you, and not go by feelings, but move toward the mission that is before us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I hope that while I've been gone for the month of July, that you've been praying, how God might use you in the life of the church.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, you've been praying, like, how should I be involved when it gets to September, you've got one more month, okay?
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to be praying.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to be praying how to be involved in the life of this church and you might say well how does being involved in a life group or or serving here on Sunday accomplish the mission?
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's how it puts you in closer proximity to other believers so that you can care for them, pray for them and then move in to influence in them and disciple them.
[SPEAKER_00]: You make this year a banner year for spirits of growth in your life because as you want to help other people, that's how you grow.
[SPEAKER_00]: For you to listen and leave, you're not going to grow very much by doing that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you get involved and you start to help other people grow, you're going to grow exponentially.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's read Romans chapter eight, Romans chapter 12, verse eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's, this gift is tucked away in this book in verse eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me read verse eight, it says, the one who exhorts, so the gift of exhortation, in his exhortation, the one who contributes
[SPEAKER_00]: in generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the phrase that I want to go at this morning.
[SPEAKER_00]: The one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this Sunday I want to talk about the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: My outline is one of contrast.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the first point is open hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: Contrasted by closed hands, and the way you're motivated to be generous is by crucified hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are the three points of my outline.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's look at generosity, open hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because the Greek word here, he contributes.
[SPEAKER_00]: It literally means to give and to share.
[SPEAKER_00]: So when the multitudes, the multitudes heard John about this demand of them, fruit that accords with repentance, they asked for clarity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what do you mean, John?
[SPEAKER_00]: Which he gave in Luke chapter 3, verse 11, by saying that the one who has two tunics,
[SPEAKER_00]: So part of the fruit of repentance, what it looks like when your heart is truly repentant, you become generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: You begin to give and fall in Ephesians 428 commanded that a believer, whether you're gifted with generosity or not, should labor with his own hands to be in a position to give, same word.
[SPEAKER_00]: to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it is a Christian virtue when your heart has been touched by grace to give and to be generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now again, like all gifts, there are some people who are gifted at evangelism, but we're all called to evangelize.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're all called to be generous, but there are some people who really excel in generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: With this word to give, you see it in verse eight, it couples it with generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, not just give, but give with generosity and the Greek word can also be translated like singleness or sincerity.
[SPEAKER_00]: It conveys this idea of being without an alternative.
[SPEAKER_00]: My mind always goes back to Acts chapter five.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, Anonized and Sapphira.
[SPEAKER_00]: They wanted to give, but they wanted to give to be acknowledged and admired, and it didn't go so well for them.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we're talking about those who are sincere, we're talking about people who hold nothing back.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're true blue, they're open-hearted, because you feel like you can know them immediately.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're so refreshing as people.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when the word sincerity or the singleness is coupled with giving, I think you can see what it means.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like this liberality, this generous giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's without holding back.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever been on the receiving end of someone who gives reluctantly?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's someone's like you can hear the tearing and ripping from their velcro fingers.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, it's like, well, thank you, but maybe not.
[SPEAKER_00]: The people who give cheerfully are those who have this gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's without fuss, it's without a lot of noise.
[SPEAKER_00]: They love to give.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I think cheerful giving, generous giving, it's really associated together.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because those who are cheerful about it, their generous is like,
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, when that brings up a good point for me because I think generosity, it's not associated, it's not the gift for the wealthy.
[SPEAKER_00]: The wealthy are not the only ones with the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can have it and not have a lot, but you just have this desire, this joy of giving it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a hard attitude, perhaps it has to do with more percentages because when Jesus talked about that woman who gave two coins, what did he say about her?
[SPEAKER_00]: He, she gave more than anybody.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, she didn't, but she gave a greater percentage than anybody else because she gave all that she had.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it gets at that idea of generosity, and you don't have to be wealthy to be generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think of this family back when I was single, going to college, I was logging in North California, and the family was the agar family, and their houses always open, whatever they had, they gave, they did not have a nice house, they didn't have nice things, it was pretty rough house, but you wanted to be there.
[SPEAKER_00]: You just wanted to be there because of their generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: In order for generosity to occur, though, there are some things that need to be settled in one's life.
[SPEAKER_00]: The first thing is that you would have to seek first the kingdom of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's gotta be on the uppermost part of your affections.
[SPEAKER_00]: You want the kingdom to come and is will be done.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's first place in your life.
[SPEAKER_00]: What moves, God's heart moves your heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: And whatever the Lord is excited about, you want to get behind the Lord's pet projects.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just think about what that might be.
[SPEAKER_00]: You just want to join the Lord in those projects.
[SPEAKER_00]: But secondly, you put a governor on your spending so that you spend less than what you make.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would say in the field guidance in there too, that live on 80%.
[SPEAKER_00]: You think about what is 80% of your salary?
[SPEAKER_00]: What would that be?
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you can do the math in your head.
[SPEAKER_00]: Save 10%, give 10%, but live on 80%.
[SPEAKER_00]: And let me show you, there's a graph in the field guide.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I guess I don't have it up on the screen.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's on page 131.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's talking about the steps of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the first step is, first time giving, because it's a big deal to let go of wealth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever you have, that first time to say,
[SPEAKER_00]: Why am I giving?
[SPEAKER_00]: When I know what I could do with this, it's that first step of obedience and you begin to give, first time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the next step would be occasional giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more frequent than just one time you're giving on occasional giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you step up and give consistently.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's on a regular pattern.
[SPEAKER_00]: You are giving to the work of the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: The next step up from consistent is tithing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Tithing means ten percent, that word means ten percent.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason why this is important is because when you lock it in and say, I'm going to give this to the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, whether the needs go up or down, it means that you're gonna have to learn to trust the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been such a good tool for me that He, the Lord, gets it first.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why we call it like first fruits.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna give first fruits, and the Lord is gonna take care of me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it's opposed to, I'm gonna give whatever's left over on the end of the month.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not a lot of trust, but if you say, no, it's 10%, it's always going to stay 10%, that's what's going to happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to look and view that 10%, it's not even your own.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the Lord's portion.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you would be a little bit...
[SPEAKER_00]: How can I say it?
[SPEAKER_00]: Has it to even dig into that?
[SPEAKER_00]: No matter what happens, because in my family, there's always something to buy.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's always something that gets worn out.
[SPEAKER_00]: The tires, we need new tires, or we need this or that, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just like anybody else.
[SPEAKER_00]: And yet, to trust the Lord because that is the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said that that's the Lord's, it's going to be his.
[SPEAKER_00]: that's tiving.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I would pray that you wouldn't wait to the end of your life to get there.
[SPEAKER_00]: That you'd get there very quickly so that you can even move up from there.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the last step is what we call kingdom priority-giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just like you're inching your way up because you want to be generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so you may have the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I don't know if I have the gift of generosity or not, but my wife may have the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, maybe us together.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, but I remember she challenged me once he said, why don't we move up?
[SPEAKER_00]: Every time you get a raise, John, we move up 1%.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we've done that over the years, and it's been such a joy because, you know, usually saying a general statement, women are more concerned about security, future, comfort, and she was the one that said, well, what if we move it up?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, she's awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, she is awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: But where are you on this chart?
[SPEAKER_00]: How would you describe your giving?
[SPEAKER_00]: You might ask, well, how do I know if I have the gift of generosity or not?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, if you consistently know the joy of giving to kingdom purposes, you might have the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because Jesus said in Acts chapter 20 verse 35, Paul remembered a statement, it was passed down to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Jesus said it's more blessed to give than receive.
[SPEAKER_00]: And those who have the gift of generosity know that principle.
[SPEAKER_00]: They just know that principle because it's a joy to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's a good definition I've found of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: The gift of generosity is a spirit given readiness.
[SPEAKER_00]: To give one's possessions, cheerfully, prudently, and sacrificially, for the relief of the saints in the advancement of God's kingdom.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say it again.
[SPEAKER_00]: The gift of generosity is a spirit given readiness to give one's possessions cheerfully, prudently, and sacrificially for the relief of the saints and the advancement of God's kingdom now, take those words cheerfully.
[SPEAKER_00]: You just love the gift.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you have the gift of generosity, you love the gift, you can't wait to give more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Prudently,
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not a reckless giving without knowing what you have in your bank account or your budget.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not that you steward God's money.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're planning, you're saving so that you can give.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's prudently.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, sacrificial, you will forgo pleasures.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes you will forgo your own needs for the sake of others and the kingdom's advance.
[SPEAKER_00]: So cheerfully, prudently, sacrificially.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I told you the story, I know I've told you the story before, but it's worth telling again about Dan Arnold.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dan Arnold used to own all the road range or gas stations in town before the Lord took him home in 2015.
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not attend our church, but he loved to give to the kingdom work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And through unusual circumstances, we came across each other's path.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was aware of our need, because at the same time, we were looking for a building in which we could call home as a church.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we found this particular location.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we didn't have a lot of nickels to rub together.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the down payment alone was $300,000.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a ton of money at that time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, Dan Arnold, without a lot of deliberation, without a lot of thinking about it, he said I will match up to $100,000.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so we had people to give and it got to $100,000.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember going to his office and coming out with this check as a $100,000 check.
[SPEAKER_00]: I took a picture of it, sent it to the others, like, can you believe this?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it was just so overwhelming and just generous giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: He had the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: He loved the gift.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Dan Arnold's stories abound in Rockford.
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't just our church.
[SPEAKER_00]: That man gave, and I think about the payout into eternity, because so many people have been helped by our church and it continues to grow and we continue to send out train pastors and on and goes, but he gave at a crucial time so that we could be at this spot.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pretty awesome, and now we're expanding again.
[SPEAKER_00]: and you see the building being put together or a multiply initiative, it has stressed, a stretched, not stressed, I hope.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm sure it has, I'm sure it has, because when you commit and you pledge to give, you are being stretched.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know many of you are stretched because of the amount you pledged.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so proud of you, I'm so thankful.
[SPEAKER_00]: This huge step of faith that we're all taking together will pay dividends into eternity.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a unique time of life in the life of our church, and we get to participate.
[SPEAKER_00]: One day, the stories are going to be told of the people of this church that were generous in giving to a noble redeemer to have a larger capacity to reach this community.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just thank God, but you don't have to be wealthy to be generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just let me mention one thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: the Macedonian believers found in 1 Corinthians 8.
[SPEAKER_00]: They begged Paul for the opportunity to give.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: They begged Paul for the opportunity to give.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: 1 Corinthians 8, 1 through 4.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know we want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.
[SPEAKER_00]: For in a severe test of affliction, they are being persecuted.
[SPEAKER_00]: and their extreme poverty have overflowed with the wealth of generosity on their part.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what extreme poverty is back then, but today it would be like you don't have, you know, cable internet or whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: But back then extreme poverty, and it says,
[SPEAKER_00]: They gave, according to their means, as I can testify and be on their means, of their own accord begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the massive donating believers.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to have a lot of money to have the gift of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: I should encourage this all.
[SPEAKER_00]: The gift of generosity is it work, and it's symbolized by open hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: But by contrast, to help us understand generosity, let's talk about a closed hand.
[SPEAKER_00]: Close hand, that's point number two.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember the rich young ruler?
[SPEAKER_00]: The rich young ruler and Luke chapter 18 came to Jesus and said, what must I do to have eternal life?
[SPEAKER_00]: What must I do?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I said, well, when was the last time you heard someone say that?
[SPEAKER_00]: What must I do to have eternal life?
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we would have let that guy in a sinner's prayer immediately, got him saved, got him coming to Redeemer.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Jesus was hesitant.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was something off about this guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: And because the Lord knows, you knew something was off.
[SPEAKER_00]: This man loved money, so Jesus told him to give it all away if he wanted to follow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, how many of us would be able to do that?
[SPEAKER_00]: And that man could not part with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was too important to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think of Luke chapter 12, where Jesus talked about, the wealthy man who was building bigger and bigger barns.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just to cue you in, bigger barns and building and storing wealth isn't the sin in this story.
[SPEAKER_00]: because you have a lot of wealthy folk in the Old Testament, New Testament, but they shared.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not the building of bigger barns, but he had closed hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you mean he had closed hands?
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll listen to what the man said in verse 18 to 21.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will tear down my barns.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will build larger ones and there I will store my grain and my good, my goods.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I will say to my soul, so you have ample goods laid up for many years, relax, eat, drink, be merry.
[SPEAKER_00]: But God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things that you have prepared, who's will they be?
[SPEAKER_00]: And then Jesus sums it up.
[SPEAKER_00]: So is the one who lays treasure up for himself and is not rich toward God.
[SPEAKER_00]: not rich toward God.
[SPEAKER_00]: So building wealth is not the problem with the man.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's trusting in the abundance.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's putting one's trust in the abundance.
[SPEAKER_00]: He told himself that he could relax and enjoy life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because he had a big bank account.
[SPEAKER_00]: He had a big portfolio.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Jesus said, wrong answer.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not a good answer.
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't pleased with that answer.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does it mean to be rich toward God then?
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to John Piper.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rich toward God means counting God greater riches than anything on earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rich toward God means using earthly riches to show how much you value God.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what the prosperous farmer failed to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so quoting.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the result was that he was a fool and lost his soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: Money is hazardous.
[SPEAKER_00]: It lures us out of love for God.
[SPEAKER_00]: It lures us away from treasuring God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I would add, out of the quote, I would add it, it's dangerous that it lures us away from trusting God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you have a big bank account, you feel like you're secure.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a false hope.
[SPEAKER_00]: The closed hand is always constantly frightened by the loss of wealth, constantly frightened by the future.
[SPEAKER_00]: And yet no Christian, even in this room, would say that they trust in their bank account over God.
[SPEAKER_00]: But what does the closed hand reveal?
[SPEAKER_00]: What does the lack of generosity expose?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because this is where the rubber meets the road, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: We've got asses to be generous, which he does.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we've packed our savings, we've raised our standard of living without raising our standard of giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does that reveal?
[SPEAKER_00]: Does it reveal trust in the Lord?
[SPEAKER_00]: Does it reveal that the kingdom of God is of first value to us?
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of you struggle to give away a 10% because you want to invest it in your business, you want to invest it in the markets because you know that if you do that, at the end of many years, you'll have a lot more.
[SPEAKER_00]: And one day you say you're going to be generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's dangerous.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Lord has a better way of doing that.
[SPEAKER_00]: That you are to honor Him with your wealth along the way, not some day, not some day.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your wealth building is going to be much slower, but you will keep your heart locked on heaven and is kingdom instead of some day, trust Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because generosity should start now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now,
[SPEAKER_00]: Pastor Josh McPherson wrote a little book that I want to put in the hands of every man in this congregation.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's called dragons every man must slay and what he does in this little book that he divides up okay men 0 to 18 this is the dragon that must be slay and from 18 to 25 this is the dragon.
[SPEAKER_00]: When he gets to the ages 45 to 65 he says the dragon that must be slain
[SPEAKER_00]: So it looks like success is bad, but it can swallow up the faith of men.
[SPEAKER_00]: It can suffocate the faith of men, and these are here's the quote.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not fall for the lie of the self-made man.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no such thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Every opportunity, every connection, every open door, has been a gift of His grace.
[SPEAKER_00]: Success is not the proof of Your greatness.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the proof of His generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you slay the dragon with gratitude and generosity?
[SPEAKER_00]: Generosity that puts wealth to work for something greater than yourself, you find a vision worth building, a community worth strengthening,
[SPEAKER_00]: You take your possession, your success, and you lay it back down before the Lord as a living sacrifice."
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a great quote.
[SPEAKER_00]: You say, well, I want to do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But how do I change my habit?
[SPEAKER_00]: How do I loosen the grip of things?
[SPEAKER_00]: My third point would be, just consider crucified hands.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it always starts with a generous God.
[SPEAKER_00]: It starts with our generous God and generous Son of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your relationship with money won't change until your heart is freed.
[SPEAKER_00]: By the cross of Jesus Christ, where his body was broken, his hands were pierced through until he died for you and for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Greed is just one manifestation of sin.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there are many sins or crimes against God and it's personal.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been created to worship God, yet our hearts are helplessly attracted to lesser things, deadly things.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why in Roman 623 it says, the wages of sin is death.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've offended God.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've kindled His wrath.
[SPEAKER_00]: How does that get taken care of the Son of God comes and offers to be the sin sacrifice where all of the wrath of God is spent on him, on the cross, put some to death.
[SPEAKER_00]: That counts for us when we trust in him.
[SPEAKER_00]: So our healing, our freedom starts with confessing, our sin has greed against God and then believing Jesus is the Son of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Saviour of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you believe that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you look to him alone for rescue?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that's where it starts.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you might say, well, I've done that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've done it, then you consider the crucified hands again.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because there, again, you see the generosity of our God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it doesn't start.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't start when he wants to motivate us to be generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't start with guilt.
[SPEAKER_00]: He starts with grace.
[SPEAKER_00]: He forgets our sins.
[SPEAKER_00]: Second Corinthians eight nine, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, he became a man, he was the sin offering, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
[SPEAKER_00]: He rescues us.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Father opened His hand and gave His Son the Son opened His hands to be crucified.
[SPEAKER_00]: It starts with God in His generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what it always starts right there.
[SPEAKER_00]: If God is so loving and generous to save us, don't you think He can be trusted with our future?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because holding on to stuff,
[SPEAKER_00]: It's telling you that there's something wrong with your trust in the future.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because again, money is, it feels like security.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you give it away, you're trusting the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you fear?
[SPEAKER_00]: Why do you cling so tightly to earthly things?
[SPEAKER_00]: Has he not demonstrated a love for you?
[SPEAKER_00]: Has he not been generous toward you?
[SPEAKER_00]: you fear losing security, you fear losing comforts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you fear a future calamity that could be around the corner and you've gotta be ready for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the gospel answers all of those fears.
[SPEAKER_00]: How does the gospel answer all those fears?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you're in the hands of an Almighty God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember Romans chapter 8, verse 31 and 32, God before us,
[SPEAKER_00]: Who could be against us, and then the next verse is really key.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, with him graciously give us all things.
[SPEAKER_00]: The point is, he gave the greatest gift.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anything else is less, of course he's gonna give that to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you believe that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Open your hand.
[SPEAKER_00]: Learn how to be generous.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if he cares about Sparrow's defeat them, and he adorns grass in the field, will he not care for you?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, child of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He will.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let him prove that over and over again.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can trust him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can tell you because we live the same lives.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I'm the same per kind of person.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to pull things in.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be secure.
[SPEAKER_00]: But in order to give away, it helps me grow in faith and in trust with the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've just commend that to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have that heart of generosity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's