Folks, as we begin this second message in our ‘Joy of Giving’ series for November, I want to say bluntly today just how uncomfortable it can be for all of us to talk about our stuff—our wealth—and how it relates to our walk with God. Whether you’ve thought about it or not, it can be uncomfortable on both ends, just so you know. Not only can it be uncomfortable to hear messages about money, but it can also be uncomfortable to be ‘the messenger,’ too. With that in mind, that uncomfortable feeling shouldn’t keep us, as Jesus’ disciples, from being willing to talk about and to listen to everything that’s dealt with in his word…
The truth is this: If we truly are followers of Jesus Christ, then all that we have is his; we just have to come to that understanding … in order to know THE JOY OF GIVING! Jesus said (John 15:9-12, TEV), “I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete [italics mine]. 12 My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.” That’s Jesus’ desire—for us to know the JOY that he had (and has) in relation to God the Father; but, that JOY, folks, comes through obedience to his word… Tough subject though, isn’t it?
Folks, my part in this series is to talk about just how generous our God is. The whole idea of GENEROSITY comes from God. And we, made in the image of God, should reflect that quality in our lives, too. Listen to this story, as we begin today … and pay particular attention to the Jesus’ attitude in this story…
“The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him, and they went off by themselves to a town named Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds heard about it, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and healed those who needed it. 12 When the sun was beginning to set, the twelve disciples came to him and said, ‘Send the people away so that they can go to the villages and farms around here and find food and lodging, because this is a lonely place.’ 13 But Jesus said to them, ‘You yourselves give them something to eat.’ They answered, ‘All we have are five loaves and two fish. Do you want us to go and buy food for this whole crowd?’ 14 (There were about five thousand men there.) Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Make the people sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ 15 After the disciples had done so, 16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, thanked God for them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and had enough, and the disciples took up twelve baskets of what was left over.” – Luke 9:10-17 (TEV)
Freedom in any area of life … is really about surrendering that area of life to God. The truth is, we’ll always be frustrated in relationships … or with our physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual health … until we submit all parts of our lives to God! And, it’s the same with our finances. Financial freedom is found when we learn to exercise God’s principle of generous giving—to reflect God’s generous nature in our lives! So, how do we know that our God is a generous God (if this is the way we come to know his JOY)? Well, you can sure see it this story today. Let’s take a moment to look closely at the generosity of God here in the Gospel of Luke:
First, let’s take a look at THE NATURE OF GOD. And, let me begin by saying this:Generosity is the nature of God. For instance, God didn’t just give us any ol’ thing to make our lives complete; he gave us the flesh & blood life of his very son … that we might come to know life as God planned it, designed it to be. And, it’s in the accepting of that incredible GIFT that we come to know God’s JOY in every area of our lives … including the managing of our ‘stuff.’ If we are to know the JOY that Jesus came to give us, we need to learn to live by the principles God’s word gives us—to allow the very nature of the God to live through us…
We’re coming up on the season of Advent, which leads to Christmas, here in just a little while. So, I’m reminded of the story of Scrooge (which our high school class is digging into during Advent). And, I need to say this: NO ONE ACTUALLY WANTS TO BE A SCROOGE, DO THEY? But, it happens, even to those who are followers of Jesus (and I can almost see it now)… No one wants there tombstone to read,
“Here Lies a Tightwad: He went through life with his fist tightly squeezed and withheld doing good deeds at every opportunity.”
No one wants to leave that kind of a legacy, do they? But, if we’re not careful, it could happen…
Folks, when you allow God’s Spirit to guide your life, there’s something about giving that just “feels right.” Why? That’s because when God’s Spirit is allowed to live in us, the GENEROUS NATURE OF GOD is what’s going to come out! But, if we’re not careful … and continue to fight God’s Spirit, even after we’ve invited him in, God won’t be free to live out his GENEROUS NATURE through us… (And, this always happens when consumption exceeds generosity; again, balance is key here.)
Well, if generosity the nature of God, then this should make sense: Generous giving always honors God and blesses people. It always does those two things…
Don’t you love the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 (men)? But, let me tell you what really happened… WHAT WERE THE FIVE LOAVES & TWO FISH? Do you remember? It was the disciples’ lunch! So, what did Jesus do? HE TOOK THEIR LUNCH or their LUNCH MONEY! (Well, it’s basically the same thing…) But, think about what Jesus did then: He looked up to heaven: Jesus’ first gift was to God! He blessed it, divided it, and gave it to his disciples … so that they could bless others. Now, that’s true biblical giving!
Folks, there’s one of our greatest examples of how the GENEROSITY OF GOD works! GENEROUS GIVING ALWAYS HONORS GOD AND BLESSES PEOPLE! And, that’s how it should work right here, too!
Paul comments, in Acts 20 (NLT) in this way: “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” So, what is Jesus saying here? Basically, what Jesus was demonstrating is this: We are the most like God when we are giving! Here’s more generosity that we see through today’s lesson…
We can see clearly THE LOVE OF GOD in this story. Generosity is both the expression of God’s love for us (giving us His very best), AND our love for God, in turn. Generous giving is truly AN ACT OF WORSHIP…
Jesus said (Matt. 6:21, TEV): “For your heart will always be where your riches are.” Today, Jesus would probably say: “Show me your checkbook … and I’ll show you your priorities!” Isn’t that what Pastor Dave said last week?
Folks, the Bible clearly states that when you honor God with your stuff (wealth), when you make God your first priority, everything else in life will fall into place. Freedom in the area of finances is not about the love of money; it’s about the love of God, how you worship, and where you put your treasure. The Bible calls it ‘the principle of the tithe’ (literally, ‘the tenth’), which is how God has asked us to show our love for him…
For followers of Christ, whose goal in life is to be as Christ-like as possible, every time we give will be an act of worship—something we do to honor God and bless people… IN GOD’S GENEROSITY FOR US, WE CAN SEE HIS LOVE COME THROUGH; God waits to see our love come through as well … when we allow his generosity to be displayed through us… Finally, here’s one more item of generosity we can see in God…
We can also seeTHE PROVISION OF GOD. Generous giving is an act of faith … and it’s through our faith that God provides for those in need…
Now, think of our story today (Feeding of 5,000): What did the disciples do before God could take their resources and miraculously multiply them? THEY LET GO OF THEM, didn’t they? What’s the hardest thing for us to do? Here it is in a nutshell: If I give my lunch money to you, how am I going to have lunch? Isn’t that the real issue?
In light of that, here’s something you need to know today (consistent with Scripture): JESUS ISN’T GOING TO MAKE SOMETHING FROM NOTHING! Did you know that? We hear about 10,000 children in the world today dying from starvation and we respond: “Oh, why isn’t God doing something?” Again, Jesus isn’t going to make something from nothing! Jesus needs your lunch…
You must come to a point where you can risk trusting God with what you have; that’s why giving is an act of faith—a true act of worship! A life of faith … is the life we’ve been called to; that’s why we can call ourselves Christians—those who’ve trusted Jesus (the Christ) to be Lord of our lives…
There is a difference between believing in God and trusting God. The young pastor, Timothy, describes it this way (1 Tim. 6:17, TEV): “Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.” We must release what God has given to us; we must come to the point where we can open our hand… What are we saying when we do? “God, we trust you … with our lunch!”
Folks, our God is a GENEROUS GOD! When we get to a point in our walk with God where God knows that we trust him (by our actions) … then amazing things start to happen! Jesus blessed the bread; he broke it, and then what happened? HE GAVE IT BACK!
- When they got it back, was it the same quantity? NO.
- At the end of the day, was everyone’s needs met? YES.
AND THERE WERE LEFTOVERS… When we, like God, live our lives out of generosity … we set ‘the law of miraculous multiplication’ into effect. We can—essentially—become God’s means of provision in the lives of other people. And, when God finally has an opportunity to bless others—to meet their needs—through us … oh, WHAT JOY THERE IS (on all sides)! And, that cycle of blessing—instead of the cycle of constant frustration over our finances—can continue as well…
Folks, GOD WANTS TO GIVE US HIS VERY BEST; but, in order to do that, he must first teach us how to trust … how to live by faith … how to be obedient to what he’s called us to do…
- Do you want to know God’s joy in your life?
- Do you want to know the Joy of Giving?
Look no further than our generous God … and allow him to live that life through you!