Embracing Generosity: Dancing Beyond Our Past

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Freedom in Christ

In the journey of faith, believers are invited to "dance on the grave" of their past failures, fears, and sins, celebrating the new life found in Jesus. This metaphorical dance is a powerful expression of liberation from the bondage of sin and an embrace of the strength and protection that God provides. Psalm 18 beautifully illustrates this truth, reminding us that God is our rock, fortress, and savior—a safe haven where we find refuge and strength. Worship becomes a bold expression of gratitude and praise, a celebration of the freedom and new life we have in Christ. As we lift our voices and hands in worship, we are encouraged to offer a sacrifice of praise that pleases our King. [06:52]

Psalm 18:2-3 (ESV): "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies."

Reflection: What past failure or fear do you need to "dance on the grave" of today, celebrating the freedom you have in Christ?

Day 2: The Joy of Generosity

True joy and fulfillment are found in giving rather than receiving, a Kingdom Principle that challenges cultural norms. In a world that often equates happiness with accumulation and consumption, Jesus' teachings offer a counter-cultural perspective. The World Happiness Report highlights a decline in happiness, suggesting that the things we often pursue for fulfillment fall short. Instead, Jesus invites us to experience the happiness that comes from a generous life. Generosity is not limited to financial giving; it encompasses our time, relationships, and abilities. It is a reflection of God's nature, woven throughout Scripture and central to the gospel. [41:26]

Acts 20:35 (ESV): "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Reflection: Consider one way you can practice generosity today, whether through your time, resources, or talents. How can this act of giving bring you joy?

Day 3: Abundance Mindset in Christ

Jesus teaches us to see the world through an abundance mindset, trusting God as our provider. This perspective leads to gratitude and generosity, contrasting with the fear and greed of a scarcity mindset. An abundance mindset aligns our hearts with God's abundance, moving us from a place of fear and lack to one of trust and provision. As we trust in God's provision, we are freed from the anxiety of scarcity and empowered to live generously. This shift in perspective is transformative, allowing us to experience the fullness of life that God intends for us. [58:12]

2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV): "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you struggle with a scarcity mindset? How can you begin to trust God for His abundant provision today?

Day 4: Generosity as a Heart Practice

Generosity is more than a one-time act; it is a consistent practice that transforms our hearts. Jesus teaches that our hearts follow our money, and by practicing generosity, we can transform our inner lives. This practice aligns our financial habits with God's principles, freeing us from fear and greed. As we embark on this journey of generosity, we are invited to examine our hearts and our relationship with money. By living generously, we experience the joy and fulfillment that come from giving, reflecting God's love and provision in our lives. [01:09:34]

Matthew 6:21 (ESV): "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Reflection: Reflect on your current financial habits. How can you align them more closely with God's principles of generosity?

Day 5: Reflecting God's Nature Through Generosity

Generosity is rooted in the triune nature of God and is central to the gospel. As we practice generosity, we reflect God's love and provision, participating in His work on earth. This reflection of God's nature is a powerful testimony to the world, demonstrating the transformative power of the gospel. Generosity is not just about giving; it is about embodying the character of God in our daily lives. As we align our hearts with God's abundance, we become conduits of His love and grace, impacting the world around us. [01:06:24]

1 John 3:17-18 (ESV): "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Reflection: How can you reflect God's generous nature in your interactions with others today? What specific action can you take to demonstrate His love and provision?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound concept of "dancing on the grave" of our past failures, fears, and sins, celebrating the new life we have in Jesus. This metaphorical dance signifies our liberation from the power of sin and our embrace of the strength and protection found in God alone. Psalm 18 reminds us that God is our rock, fortress, and savior, a safe haven where we find refuge and strength. As we worship, we are encouraged to take a bold step in our praise, to lift our voices and hands, and to offer a sacrifice of worship that pleases our King.

We also introduced our new series, "The Generous Life," focusing on the Kingdom Principle that there is more joy in giving than in receiving. This principle challenges the cultural norms that equate happiness with accumulation and consumption. The World Happiness Report shows a decline in happiness, suggesting that the things we often pursue for fulfillment fall short. Jesus' teachings, however, offer a counter-cultural perspective, emphasizing that true joy and fulfillment come from generosity.

Generosity is not just about money; it encompasses our time, relationships, and abilities. It is a reflection of God's nature, woven throughout Scripture and central to the gospel. Jesus' teachings on money and generosity are not only right but also good, as supported by social sciences. Generosity leads to happiness, health, and a more fulfilled life. It is a practice that aligns our hearts with God's abundance, moving us from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance and trust in God's provision.

As we embark on this series, we are invited to examine our hearts and our relationship with money. Jesus teaches that our hearts follow our money, and by practicing generosity, we can transform our inner lives. This series will explore Jesus' teachings on money, encouraging us to live generously and experience the joy that comes from giving.

Key Takeaways

1. time act; it is a consistent practice that transforms our hearts. By aligning our financial habits with God's principles, we experience freedom from fear and greed. [01:09:34]
5. Generosity Reflects God's Nature: Generosity is rooted in the triune nature of God and is central to the gospel. As we practice generosity, we reflect God's love and provision, participating in His work on earth.

** [69:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:52] - Dancing on the Grave
[07:40] - Running to the Father
[25:41] - Sacrifice of Praise
[26:44] - Exalting Jesus
[29:00] - Introduction to Evolve Church
[31:48] - Serving and Community
[34:28] - Praying for Gateway Church
[37:02] - The Generous Life Series
[38:35] - World Happiness Report
[40:35] - Jesus' Teachings on Generosity
[42:34] - Personal Story of Giving
[44:31] - Social Science and Generosity
[46:23] - The Paradox of Generosity
[49:42] - Jesus' Teachings on Money
[50:43] - Storing Treasures in Heaven
[55:43] - Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset
[61:25] - Serving God and Mammon
[64:00] - Generosity and God's Nature
[69:34] - Consistent Practice of Generosity
[71:08] - The Joyful Generous Life
[74:19] - Aligning Our Hearts with Generosity
[76:46] - Seeking First the Kingdom

Sermon Clips

1. "You don't have to look anywhere except Jesus to find a safe place to run to. You don't have to look anywhere except the Father today to find a strong tower, to take refuge, to be protected, to be shielded, to be covered. He is my shield, the power that saves me, my place of safety. And verse 3 says, I called on the Lord who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my iniquity. So not only are we dancing on the grave that we once lived in past tense because we've been made whole, we've been set free, we've been made new by the power of Jesus." ([00:07:19] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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2. "And making new friends that become family every week, it feels like right now. And so, we love that you're here. We planted on kind of four pillars, foundations that we call Belong, Hope, Grow, and Become. Our prayer is that you would learn that you can belong to family. But right out of the gate, whether you identify with Jesus, or whether you're curious about Jesus, or whether you have questions about Jesus, you can still belong to family wherever you're at in your faith journey. The invitation is to come in close and anchor your life in community, in family, together." ([00:29:55] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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3. "The good life we're all searching for is often found in the places that we least expect. Which is why Jesus regularly made bold claims that turn our vision of the good life upside down. Did you know that heaven's kingdom is so often, if not always, counter-cultural to the ways of this world? Jesus said crazy things like, the last will be first and the first will be last. Well, culture says the first will be first and the last will be last. But Jesus had something. He had something different to say." ([00:39:52] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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4. "Statistically speaking, people who are financially generous are happier, healthier, have lower levels of depression and anxiety, are more interested in their own personal growth, they're more self-aware, they have better relationships. They have a higher life expectancy, and they literally laugh more. Statistically speaking, according to science, wouldn't you know, Jesus' upside-down principle on how we give away our money was bang on. Isn't that awesome? I love it." ([00:44:47] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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5. "Jesus names this deep impulse in the human heart to store up treasure. He calls it out. The fascinating thing is he doesn't rebuke the impulse. Jesus doesn't rebuke the impulse to store up treasure. We all have a deep impulse within us to store up treasure. That's not the issue. For Jesus, the problem isn't that we want to store up treasure. It's that we store it up in the wrong place. We store it up on earth rather than, say it with me, in heaven." ([00:52:47] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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6. "Jesus is teaching us that there are two different ways of looking at the world. And these two ways have come to be called what we would say an abundance mindset or a scarcity mindset. A healthy eye, or an unhealthy eye. Abundance mindset or scarcity. An abundance mindset, if you have this mindset, you look out at the world and you see a world of abundance. You see God as your father and as your provider. You see yourself as his beloved child, his son, or his daughter. And you see all of life as a gift." ([00:57:16] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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7. "The rival god of mammon will take over your heart unless you resist its gravitational pull. How? According to Jesus? Through generosity. Now, Jesus is a brilliant teacher. And I want you to see that he's teaching on at least three levels in Matthew 6 here. People who study how we learn tell us there's a progression from the head to the heart to the hand. Have you ever heard that before? The thoughts become ideas and feelings that turn into belief systems that turn into a response that dictate how we live our life." ([01:03:04] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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8. "Generosity is grounded in the triune nature of God. It's in him. It's in him. A biblical theology of generosity doesn't start with tithing or even with Jesus' command to be generous to the poor. It starts before time and space with who God is. That's where it begins. God is our Father. You know, my kids don't worry about the mortgage or rent or groceries or Epcor or medical bills because they've got a father and a mother who provide for them." ([01:04:48] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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9. "Following Jesus changes our relationship to money because it changes our heart. And that's why generosity is way more than just tithing or even random acts of kindness or radical generosity where we give a large portion of our resource away. It's about buying coffee for your friend or welcoming people to your dinner table or being quick to forgive when you're hurt. Because generosity isn't just about our behavior, it's about our inner nature. It's a default, our hard wiring. It's about the heart." ([01:08:05] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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10. "Consistent financial generosity for the follower of Jesus is a practice by which we index our hearts. It's actually meant to index and organize our inner person from fear of lack to trust in God the Father, our provider. From worry over our future to peace with whatever comes. From the endless desire for more to the enjoyment of what we currently have. From grasping to gratitude. From misery to joy. From a scarcity mentality to the abundance mentality of Jesus." ([01:10:02] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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