Generosity: Aligning Hearts with God's Kingdom

 

Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound connection between generosity and our spiritual lives, focusing on the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6. We began by acknowledging the discomfort that often accompanies discussions about money, yet recognizing its importance as a reflection of our values and priorities. Jesus' words remind us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. This challenges us to examine what our financial habits reveal about our true priorities and what we worship.

We delved into the concept of stewardship, understanding that everything we have is ultimately God's, and we are merely managers of these resources. This perspective encourages us to hold our possessions loosely and use them to further God's kingdom. We also discussed the idea that our hearts follow our treasure, meaning that where we invest our resources, our affections and priorities will naturally align. This can be a powerful tool for spiritual growth, as giving to causes that align with God's heart can transform our own.

Furthermore, we addressed the potential idolatry of money, emphasizing that generosity is a means to combat this. By giving, we actively resist the temptation to place money above God in our lives. We also tackled common questions about tithing and giving, highlighting that while the Old Testament tithe is a guideline, the New Testament calls us to radical generosity, not bound by legalism but inspired by grace.

Finally, we considered practical steps for incorporating generosity into our lives, even in challenging financial situations. Whether through structured budgeting or spontaneous acts of kindness, the goal is to cultivate a heart that reflects God's generosity. As we continue this series, we will further explore how worship, sacrifice, and mission intersect with our financial lives, inviting us into deeper alignment with God's purposes.

Key Takeaways:

1. Authenticity in Community: True community requires authenticity, which can be challenging when discussing money. Yet, being open about our financial lives can lead to deeper relationships and spiritual growth. By embracing transparency, we create a space where real transformation can occur. [04:40]

2. Stewardship as Worship: Recognizing that God owns everything and we are stewards encourages a worshipful posture towards our resources. This perspective shifts our focus from ownership to responsibility, prompting us to use our resources for God's purposes. [10:45]

3. Heart Follows Treasure: Our financial decisions reveal our true priorities. By investing in what God values, we align our hearts with His. This principle challenges us to examine our spending and giving habits, ensuring they reflect our commitment to God's kingdom. [14:40]

4. Combating Idolatry: Generosity is a powerful tool against the idolatry of money. By giving, we declare that God, not money, is our ultimate priority. This act of worship frees us from the grip of materialism and aligns us with God's heart. [19:59]

5. Radical Generosity: The call to generosity is not about meeting a specific percentage but about embracing a lifestyle of giving that reflects God's grace. This challenges us to consider what radical generosity looks like in our unique circumstances, fostering freedom from financial idols. [23:57]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [02:00] - Introduction to Generosity
- [04:40] - Authenticity in Community
- [06:30] - The Challenge of Money Conversations
- [08:15] - Jesus' Teachings on Treasure
- [10:45] - Stewardship as Worship
- [12:30] - The Heart and Treasure Connection
- [14:40] - Aligning Heart with God's Values
- [16:20] - Combating Idolatry with Generosity
- [19:59] - Radical Generosity Explained
- [21:45] - Practical Steps for Generosity
- [23:57] - Addressing Financial Challenges
- [25:30] - Conclusion and Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Generosity and Spiritual Life

Bible Reading:
- Matthew 6:19-24

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Observation Questions:

1. What does Jesus mean when He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"? How does this relate to the overall message of the sermon? [04:40]

2. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus states, "You cannot serve both God and money." What examples from the sermon illustrate this teaching? [10:45]

3. How does the concept of stewardship, as discussed in the sermon, relate to the idea of storing up treasures in heaven? [14:40]

4. What are some of the practical steps mentioned in the sermon for incorporating generosity into our lives, even in challenging financial situations? [23:57]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the sermon challenge the traditional understanding of tithing, and what does it suggest about the nature of generosity in the New Testament? [19:59]

2. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between financial transparency and authenticity in community? How might this impact spiritual growth? [04:40]

3. How does the sermon interpret the idea of "heart follows treasure" in the context of aligning our priorities with God's values? [14:40]

4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that generosity can combat the idolatry of money? How is this connected to worship? [10:45]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current financial habits. What do they reveal about your priorities and what you worship? How might you begin to align them more closely with God's values? [04:40]

2. Consider the concept of stewardship as presented in the sermon. How can you adopt a posture of stewardship in your daily financial decisions? What changes might this require? [10:45]

3. The sermon discusses the idea of radical generosity. What does radical generosity look like in your unique circumstances, and how can you begin to practice it? [19:59]

4. Think about a time when you felt the grip of materialism. How can acts of generosity help free you from this grip and align your heart with God's purposes? [19:59]

5. The sermon encourages transparency in financial matters within the community. How comfortable are you with this level of openness, and what steps can you take to foster authenticity in your relationships? [04:40]

6. Identify a cause or mission that aligns with God's heart. How can you begin to invest your resources in this area, and what impact do you hope it will have on your spiritual growth? [14:40]

7. If you are currently facing financial challenges, what practical steps can you take to incorporate generosity into your life, as suggested in the sermon? How might this change your perspective on giving? [23:57]

Devotional

Day 1: Authenticity in Financial Conversations
Authenticity in community requires openness, even in financial matters. Discussing money can be uncomfortable, yet it is essential for spiritual growth and deeper relationships. By embracing transparency, individuals create a space where real transformation can occur, allowing them to align their financial lives with their spiritual values. This openness fosters trust and encourages others to share their journeys, leading to a more supportive and understanding community. [04:40]

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a financial decision you are currently facing. How can you invite someone you trust into this decision-making process to gain wisdom and accountability?


Day 2: Stewardship as an Act of Worship
Recognizing that God owns everything and we are stewards encourages a worshipful posture towards our resources. This perspective shifts focus from ownership to responsibility, prompting individuals to use their resources for God's purposes. By viewing stewardship as an act of worship, believers are reminded that their financial decisions are a reflection of their devotion to God, leading them to prioritize His kingdom in their spending and giving. [10:45]

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your current financial habits. How can you adjust your budget to better reflect a heart of stewardship and worship?


Day 3: Aligning Heart with God's Values
Our financial decisions reveal our true priorities. By investing in what God values, individuals align their hearts with His. This principle challenges believers to examine their spending and giving habits, ensuring they reflect a commitment to God's kingdom. As hearts follow treasure, investing in God's work can transform personal priorities and deepen spiritual growth. [14:40]

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

Reflection: Identify one area where your spending does not align with God's values. What practical steps can you take this week to redirect your resources towards what matters to God?


Day 4: Generosity as a Tool Against Idolatry
Generosity is a powerful tool against the idolatry of money. By giving, individuals declare that God, not money, is their ultimate priority. This act of worship frees them from the grip of materialism and aligns them with God's heart. Embracing generosity helps combat the temptation to place money above God, fostering a spirit of contentment and gratitude. [19:59]

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent opportunity to give that you hesitated on. How can you respond differently next time to prioritize generosity over materialism?


Day 5: Embracing Radical Generosity
The call to generosity is not about meeting a specific percentage but about embracing a lifestyle of giving that reflects God's grace. This challenges individuals to consider what radical generosity looks like in their unique circumstances, fostering freedom from financial idols. By embracing radical generosity, believers can experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from aligning their financial lives with God's purposes. [23:57]

"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)

Reflection: What does radical generosity look like for you in your current season of life? How can you take a step towards this kind of giving today?

Quotes

"Just a great job giving us an update. Out of all the things that we support and partner with, Run is probably the hardest one to explain. So she did a really good job of giving you a little bit of a taste of who they are and what they do. And if you want to know more, she'd be happy to share, I'm sure, more with you. They also have tons of resources that are very, very interesting, all kinds of crazy stories of how God is moving around the world. The other thing that I would say about Audrey is she's been a part of our missions team for about a year now and is really just... Just given a ton of great energy to that team and raising awareness in the conversation. And if you are the kind of person who likes to dream big dreams or ask the question, what might it look like if we did this? Or what do you think God might be up to over there? Audrey is a great person to talk to about that kind of stuff. So you're going to have a lot of conversations after the gathering." [00:00:24] (55 seconds)


"Now, you might be thinking, well, sure, no one loves the money conversation, but it's not that uncomfortable, right? There's probably other things out there that are far more uncomfortable for us to talk about. But I would ask you a couple of questions. When was the last time you opened up your bank account and just said, hey, have a look, right? Look at all these numbers in there, or lack of them, right? When was the last time you were in a conversation with someone, you slid your tax returns across the table and said, what do you think? When was the last time you opened up your budget or your monthly spending report to somebody else and asked for their feedback on it? Or what about this? What if everybody at Discovery knew how much you gave to Discovery? What would that feel like?" [00:03:35] (59 seconds)


"Do not store up, this is Jesus speaking, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. That's essentially our big idea this morning. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eyes or if your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." [00:06:39] (60 seconds)


"Stewardship. This belongs to God. This stuff, these resources, this money, this paycheck, it belongs to God, and it has been entrusted to me, and so I hold it loosely and open -handedly in this posture of worship. Are you with me? Okay. Posture two. My heart goes where I put God's money. If you want to know what you treasure, take a look at your bank statements. If you want to know what you treasure, look at your bank statements. But also, I think this goes the other way as well. Sometimes we have this like, oh, I feel like my heart is not right. There's something off. Maybe there's something off like spiritually. And so we come at it with like, oh, I should pray more. I should study the Bible more, go to church, whatever. And those are all really, really good things. But sometimes if your heart, if it feels like your heart is off or misaligned, maybe you need to start giving to something that God cares about and watch your heart follow." [00:14:38] (66 seconds)


"Our church has supported David and Claudia Osa. This is another one of our global partners. We've been supporting them for several years now. And the way that that began is after I got here as the lead pastor, we had this sort of transition with some people that we were supporting who were no longer gonna be on the field anymore. And so our missions team had some extra resources and I called up Global Scope and I said, hey, do you have any teams that could you support? And they're like, well, all of them. And I said, well, can you like give me one or two? And they highly recommended, they said, oh, David and Claudia are like the best people. You'll love them so much. And I said, okay, cool, where are they? And they said, Uruguay. And I said, what? Like, where's that? And you know, nothing against Uruguay, just was not on my radar of a place that like I was passionate about or cared about or quite honestly knew about. When we went and visited them, I was startled to find out how far away it is it's really far down there but over the years over the years as we've been supporting them and as we've gotten to know them and again visited them and they've come and visited us man i have a heart for that place i have a heart for montevideo and for uruguay and for their students and for their family our hearts follow our treasure if you want a heart for god give to the things that god cares about" [00:15:05] (88 seconds)


"Giving back to god is about killing idols god is not looking for philanthropists he wants your heart he wants our heart again jesus says we cannot serve multiple masters which means some idols will need to be destroyed one of the fastest ways to kill off the idol of money is to be generous with it be generous with it now we're going to continue to talk about this in more depth for the next couple of weeks, but I did want to pause this morning and just answer a couple of questions. We're going to do a little FAQ session, right? Because sometimes there's like some very classic questions that I've noticed come up in this conversation a lot. So the first question that comes up all the time is, what is the deal with 10 %?" [00:16:40] (53 seconds)


"This comes, this is a concept called the tithe. It comes from the Old Testament. It's the idea of giving back to God a tenth. The first 10 % of whatever you receive, you give back to God this tenth, and it's kind of, it shows up all over the Old Testament. In fact, we'll look at one of the first occurrences of it here in just a moment as we get ready for communion. But this idea of the tithe, it's one of like, again, it's more of an internal kind of churchy thing. It's more of an internal kind of churchy thing. It's more of an but it's a really big argument that people love to have. Are we bound to this? Do we have to give 10 %? Does Jesus free us from the tithe? Now, here's the thing. The trajectory of Scripture, the trajectory of Scripture is away from law and legalism." [00:17:37] (50 seconds)


"And towards grace and freedom the trajectory is away from law and legalism and towards grace and freedom look at this second corinthians chapter 9 each of you should give what you have decided where in your heart right from that the deepest part of us each of you should decide what you should give what you have decided in your heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for god loves a cheerful giver and god is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work all right so the trajectory is away from law and legalism but is towards grace and freedom here's the catch jesus does free us from the tithe but it is not so that we can give less it's so that we can give more 10 is a clear number it might be a good starting point or a a good aspirational goal but the question that jesus asks us in matthew chapter 6 and in many other parts of scripture the question that jesus asks us is not are you giving 10 but what does radical generosity look like for you given" [00:18:19] (83 seconds)


"your stage of life your income your resources what does radical generosity look like for you by the way uh the vast majority there's a all kind there's always studies and articles coming out about this and there's a book that i'll talk about here in just a moment that alludes to all of this the vast majority of people in america who attend church on a regular basis do not give to their church those that do give give about two percent and a very very small percentage actually give the tithe or beyond i don't share that with you to shame anybody in the room but simply to say that might tell us something about sort of the collective heart of the church in america that almost nobody gives those who do give about two percent and a very very small percentage actually give the tithe or beyond two percent and a very small percentage give beyond" [00:19:58] (59 seconds)


"Now the last question that comes up a lot is, what if I'm in debt or some sort of like really complicated financial situation? Or what if I'm a student? Should I wait until I have my finances in order to start giving? Now I would say this, for those of you who again are maybe more on the like debt, messy financial situation side of this question, there are, I think, extreme situations where you should stop giving. And again, there's always freedom and grace in this conversation. But one of the things that I have found in my own experience and in talking to other people about this is that a great first step to get out of financial trouble is to start giving because it reprioritizes." [00:25:19] (45 seconds)


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Transcript
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