Give It Away to Keep It: Following Christ’s Example

Paul’s Christ hymn in Philippians names the true hero, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ does not cling to divine status but humbles himself, empties himself, takes the form of a servant, and becomes obedient even to death on a cross. God then lifts up the Son, so that every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. The self-emptying stands right in the middle, because everything follows from it.

The cross carries more weight than the pretty crosses people often wear. The cross was a tree of torture, shame, and curse, used for the lowest of the low. Christ willingly went there. Christ gave everything away, and that gift is pure grace. Nothing earned it. Nothing bought it. Nobody else did it for anybody else. Jesus did it.

The saying from recovery, “You’ve got to give it away to keep it,” fits the shape of Christ’s life. Lillian and Lester showed something of that shape when an unexpected land sale made them millionaires. Their reverse tithe gave away ninety percent for children, adoptions, scholarships, a family farm, and a children’s camp. Their generosity did not make them Christ, but it reflected a life that loves God above all else and loves the neighbor.

The gospel shows that same concern for people who are struggling. Christ feeds the hungry, heals the sick, forgives, and looks out for those pushed aside. Christ cleanses the temple because a house of prayer had become a den of robbers. The money changers had made the temple their cash cow, while the blind and lame came to Christ and received healing.

The parable of the two sons then turns attention from words to deeds. One son says yes but does not go. The other says no but later turns around and does the father’s will. Neither son is perfect, and neither one gives a clean picture of obedience. The family image of God’s kingdom is not a picture of a perfect family. It is an ordinary family, full of tensions, faults, love, repentance, and responsibility.

God’s reign does not erase sins and shortcomings. God’s reign makes accepted people responsible followers of Christ. The final response, “Thanks be to God, we will,” becomes a real answer when Christ’s people turn around, serve, and give themselves away for others.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ gave everything away for grace Christ’s obedience was not a transaction or an example of moral effort alone. Christ went all the way to the cross, bearing shame and death, so that salvation rests in what he has done. Grace begins where human deserving ends. [38:13]
• 2. Generosity reflects Christ’s self-emptying Lillian and Lester did not merely give from their excess. Their reverse tithe showed a freedom from treating wealth as something to protect at all costs. Their gifts became shelter, education, land, and joy for people they may never have fully known. [31:54]
• 3. Words matter less than turning around The second son begins with refusal, but his later obedience reveals a changed direction. God’s kingdom leaves room for repentance because a wrong first answer need not become a final answer. Faith becomes visible when actions finally follow the Father’s will. [43:14]
• 4. God’s family is imperfect but responsible The family of God is not made up of flawless people who always get it right. God gathers people with faults, sins, and shortcomings, then calls them to love one another and care for those beyond the building. Acceptance in Christ never becomes an excuse to avoid responsibility.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [11:29] - The Gospel of the Lord
• [25:18] - Turning Around and Finding the Way
• [25:59] - Recovery, Mentors, and Giving Away
• [28:23] - Lester and Lillian’s Example
• [31:11] - A Million-Dollar Surprise
• [31:54] - Reverse Tithing for Children
• [34:14] - Christ, the True Hero
• [36:02] - The Cross and Its Shame
• [38:13] - Pure Grace in Christ’s Gift
• [39:54] - Jesus Cleanses the Temple
• [43:14] - The Parable of the Two Sons
• [45:04] - An Imperfect Family of Faith
• [47:01] - Accepted and Responsible Followers

Bible Reading

Philippians 2:6-11
“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [34:25]

Matthew 21:28-32
“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the second and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” [43:14]

Matthew 21:12-14
“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.” [39:54]

Observation questions

1. In Philippians 2:6–11, what actions show Christ’s movement from divine glory to the humility of a servant, and what does God do in response?
2. What does the passage emphasize about the kind of death Jesus accepted, and why does the image of the cross carry more weight than a decorative symbol? [36:33]
3. In Matthew 21:12–14, what is the contrast between the actions of the money changers and the people who come to Jesus after the temple is cleared? [40:43]
4. In the parable of the two sons, how do each son’s words compare with his eventual actions? [43:45]

Interpretation questions

1. Philippians says that Christ “emptied himself” and took the form of a servant. How does this show that Jesus’ death is a gift of grace rather than something people can earn? [38:27]
2. Jesus calls the temple a house of prayer but condemns those who turned it into a “den of robbers.” What does this reveal about God’s concern for worship, honesty, and people who may be vulnerable or pushed aside? [40:54]
3. Neither son in Matthew 21 gives a perfect response to his father. Why might Jesus use two imperfect sons to describe obedience in God’s kingdom? [44:52]
4. The second son begins with a refusal but later turns around and does his father’s will. What does this suggest about repentance and the possibility of a changed direction? [43:52]

Application questions

1. Jesus gave himself fully for us, not because we earned it, but because of grace. Where are you tempted to treat God’s love as something you must earn, and what would it look like to receive Christ’s gift with gratitude?
2. “You’ve got to give it away to keep it” can describe a life of Christian service. What gift, skill, experience, time, or encouragement might God be inviting you to share with someone who is struggling? [27:35]
3. Lillian and Lester used an unexpected blessing to help children, families, students, and a camp. When you consider the resources God has entrusted to you—not only money, but also time, relationships, and abilities—where do you see a practical opportunity to give generously? [32:19]
4. The temple was meant to be a house of prayer, yet people had used it for personal gain. Are there places in your life where convenience, money, status, or self-interest has begun to crowd out prayer and care for others? What is one change you could make?
5. Is there an area where you have said “yes” to God, to another person, or to a responsibility, but your actions have not followed? What would a small, honest step of obedience look like this week? [44:08]
6. The second son’s first answer was wrong, but it was not his final answer. Is there a relationship, habit, or calling in which you need to turn around? What support from this group could help you take that next step?
7. God’s family is not perfect, but accepted people are called to be responsible followers of Christ. How can you help this group or congregation become a place where people are loved honestly, forgiven freely, and encouraged to serve others? [47:07]