Good morning, everybody.
Are you excited about new things?
Does anybody get excited about new things?
! Good! Wow!
That is more than I expected in a Baptist church, alright?
I'm messing with you.
We are starting off a new series today,
a brand new series on Jesus on generosity.
I figure if we're going to talk about being generous,
we should probably stick to what Jesus has to say about it,
because that's probably safe, right?
Everybody says, when you go to church,
they're always asking for money.
Listen, that is not what this series is about.
Now, that might be what God does in your heart,
but this is about more than that,
and we're going to dive into what Jesus has to say
about living generously.
Imagine this.
It's a Baptist church.
What do Baptists like to do?
Wow, that is the first thing that came to your mind.
Well, you're right,
because that's what the story's about, alright?
Yeah, imagine it's after church,
and Baptists get together,
and we're eating,
and there's a church potluck,
and somebody comes in with a big bucket of fried chicken.
There we go.
Yes, that's the moment to say amen.
Still steaming, still crispy.
Smells like heaven.
Another person walks in with a bag of chips
that they grabbed out of the pantry on the way out the door.
Who was more generous?
The chicken?
Truth is, we don't know.
We don't know.
Just because it costs more
doesn't necessarily mean
that they were more generous, right?
What if that person who brought the chicken
is standing there at the head of the line
saying,
Hey, only one piece.
I saw you grab a wing.
Put that drumstick back.
Would they be generous?
Not so much, right?
Could be
that the person who brought the chips
actually sacrificed more,
maybe had a more generous spirit.
Maybe they gave out of their little
instead of their much, right?
There's a principle about being generous.
Sometimes we'll be the ones who bring the chicken,
but sometimes we'll be the ones who guard the chicken too.
Sometimes we'll give,
but we're going to put a lot of parameters around our gift.
Sometimes we're going to say,
Yeah, I want to support what God's doing
through this church and in this community,
but only if it works with how I want it to work.
Only if it slots in to how I have it in my head.
Sometimes we'll do that with our gift.
And so we have to be very careful
that we're not just giving,
that we're being generous.
Well, that is a heart problem.
That's something that Jesus can help us with.
So, let's go to Luke chapter 14.
Luke chapter 14.
For the next five weeks,
God willing, we are going to talk
and take a hard look about what Jesus had to say
about living generously.
Luke chapter 14, verses 33.
Verse 33, this is kind of a series verse,
so we'll kind of keep referring back to this
throughout the next several weeks.
Every one of you who does not renounce
all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
Just thought I would drop that bomb on y'all this morning.
Unless you renounce everything you own,
you can't follow Jesus.
That's a hard thing to say, right?
That's a hard thing to hear.
It's a harder thing to live.
What in the world does he mean by that?
Well, let's look at that word renounce.
What does he mean by renounce?
That's not a word that you and I probably use every day.
It's a little uncommon.
What does it mean?
It means give up the rights to.
It means renounce control.
Give up control.
It doesn't necessarily mean we go
and take everything we have
and bring it to the church.
Number one, we don't want all your stuff, okay?
We don't want all your junk.
Don't think, you know, this is the garage sale
and we're going to bring all my junk to the church.
That's not what we're saying here.
What it means is we hold everything we have loosely.
We have open hands.
Open hands.
God might place something in that hand for a time
and then he might take it out.
We hold it all loosely.
We renounce our rights.
We give up our rights to all our possessions.
Listen, in other parts of the world,
that's a lot easier for them to do.
In America, it's a little bit harder.
It's a little bit harder for us to do.
Why?
Because we have capitalism in America.
We have this idea where you go out
and you earn what you get
and then you got it because you earned it.
Jesus says, hold on.
You go out, you earn what you get
and then you got it, but then you give it up.
You give it up to me.
Because if I want to take it, I can.
I'm the one who allowed you to get it in the first place.
And what you don't understand
is I might be able to replace it
with something far greater, far more meaningful,
far better than what you're holding onto so tightly.
So that's the idea behind
every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.
There's a truth here.
Generosity isn't about the size of your gift.
It's not about whether you bring chicken or chips.
It's about the shape of your heart.
Like everything else that Jesus has taught us
during the summer, if you were here,
I know a lot of you traveled and that's fine.
I did some traveling too.
But if you were here for most of the summer,
part of the summer,
you probably heard a sermon on stories of the kingdom.
And that was Jesus giving us his parables,
giving us these stories, these illustrations
about the kingdom of God
and how different it is than the kingdom of man.
And what it all came down to was,
where is your heart?
Is your heart for yourself or is your heart for God?
Is your heart for just me, number one,
or is your heart for others?
And so once again,
generosity does not come back to what you do,
but how and why you do it.
That's what generous living looks like.
Let's look down a couple chapters back.
Luke chapter six and verse 38.
Here's a principle on giving.
Since we're talking about generosity,
let's hit this idea of giving.
We just had an offering a moment ago.
You will very rarely see me put something
in the offering plate
because we have this in 2025,
this way to give online.
And that's a really nice, easy way for me to do that.
We go on the church center app
and every month I give 10% of my paycheck.
Sometimes we'll go ahead
and give more to special offerings
when there's disaster relief
or something going on through Texans on Mission.
We'll contribute to that as well.
But there's this idea of giving.
Why?
Well, number one,
we gotta keep the lights on in this place.
So we keep having something together.
We want staff to help lead us in ministries.
And so we try to pay them.
And there's a lot of cost that comes,
real world costs from doing God's work on this earth.
And so we collectively give.
I give, you give, we all give together.
So what does Jesus have to say about giving?
Luke 6, 38.
Give and you will receive.
Your gift will return to you in full.
Press down, shaken together to make room for more.
In case you don't understand what he was talking about.
You know, when you got something,
you shake it down, push it down.
I can pack more in there, right?
That's how God's promising to give back to us.
Running over and poured into your lap.
Sounds fun, right?
Imagine if that was money.
Press down, shaken together to make room for more.
Running over and poured into your lap.
You're like, bring it on.
You know what the cool thing is?
God's blessings sometimes look like money.
But a lot of times, probably most of the time, they're better than money.
Sometimes it's far better than what we could, what we think is the goal.
You know, none of us actually want money.
Did you know that?
I was thinking about this the other day.
You're looking at me like, speak for yourself, man.
That's wrong.
No, I'm serious.
You don't really want money.
You want what money can do for you.
You want what money buys you.
Or what you think money buys you.
We want what money can do for us.
There's really nothing special about that paper dollar.
Say, yeah, that's why you got to have it backed by gold.
Well, there's really nothing special about gold either.
It's a metal.
It doesn't really do anything for you.
It's not going to keep you warm at night.
It's not going to keep you happy.
It's what these things that we have assigned value to can buy you.
We think they can buy us what we need in this life to make us happy.
Jesus is saying, listen, what I will give you will make you far happier than this money that you're chasing.
Sometimes he'll bless you with money.
Sometimes he'll bless you with earthly possessions.
But all the time, his blessings will come back to us pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over and poured into our lap.
Oftentimes, we just don't have the eyes to see it.
Because we don't want his blessings.
We want what we want.
We want what we're pursuing.
So, it finishes up by saying the amount you give will determine the amount you give back.
The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
That is a kingdom of God principle there.
So, man, I just don't feel like I'm experiencing God's fullness.
How much time are you spending with God?
How much are you giving to God and then expecting back in return from him?
There's a principle there.
I hope we can wrap our heads around it.
So, there's a truth.
What you release in faith, God returns in abundance.
That's that whole idea of having open hands.
Renouncing our possessions.
Saying, God, I release this to you.
I'm trusting that you will return it in abundance to me.
God isn't saying.
Jesus isn't teaching that you can't have stuff.
He's saying your stuff can't have you.
Does that make sense?
Jesus, he's not saying that you can't have your boat.
You got to go sell it.
He's not saying you can't have your new cowboy boots that you just got,
even though you didn't really need them.
He's not saying you can't have stuff.
He's saying your stuff can't have you.
Several weeks ago, we talked a little bit about another principle that tied in this story.
And I want to bring it back, even though you've already heard it once before.
Maybe you'll remember it now if I've told it to you twice.
And I heard this story of this rich guy who had bought this brand new boat.
That's why a boat's on my head.
In my head.
But this guy was out.
And the youth activity, his church was going to go out on a lake and they were going to have fun.
And so he had these teenagers in his boat.
He volunteered, his brand new luxury boat, rich guy.
And they went out there on the lake.
And they're going around and having fun and playing, doing all their stuff, whatever they're doing.
And they get back and his boat is just torn up.
I mean, seats have holes in them.
The teenagers were pretty rough on it.
There's stains everywhere.
It was just rough.
They didn't treat it particularly well.
And you and I, if we had made that kind of investment and that kind of thing happened to what we just did, what we just bought and put out a bunch of money for, we would probably be like, what in the world?
What are you doing?
Can't you take care of stuff?
But he didn't have that attitude.
Now, those kids, yeah, they should have taken better care of what they were entrusted with.
But his attitude was, well, God, kind of surprised you let that happen to your boat.
But all right, whatever.
He just moved on.
Said, this isn't mine, it's God's.
I'm just holding on to it for God for a little while.
So his whole idea was he had released his big money purchase to God.
Said, God, I felt like you wanted me to get this.
I'm going to enjoy it while I have it.
But I sure am going to offer it up for the church to use.
And if that backfires on me, I don't see it as backfiring.
Because there's a bigger purpose than whatever purpose I had in mind for this boat.
Whatever purpose you have in mind for your stuff, understand that God has a bigger purpose in mind.
For you and your stuff.
So don't let your stuff have you.
You don't own what you can't lay down.
If you can't let it go, it owns you.
You don't own what you can't lay down.
If you can't let it go, it owns you.
Open hands don't mean they're empty hands.
It means they're available hands.
So let's see what Jesus says happens next.
Give and you will receive.
Your gift will return to you in full.
Press down, shaken together, make room for more.
Running over, poured into your lap.
The amount you give will determine the amount you give back.
So the principle he's teaching us here is abundance.
It's generosity.
God is promising to be generous to us.
Once again, hear me clearly.
That doesn't mean your bank account is going to triple.
Okay?
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills.
The Bible teaches us that's a principle that means he owns everything.
There's nothing that is beyond his grasp.
God's never going to not be able to pay his bills, so to speak.
God's never going to go poor.
God's never going to run out of resources.
So if he truly is our father and we are his children, then he's going to care for his children
like a good father would, and he's going to be generous toward us.
That doesn't mean giving us what we want all the time.
Because how good of parents are we if we just give our kids what they want all the time?
Kids, do you want your parents to give you what you want all the time?
Obviously, the kids do, right?
Yes.
Parents, are you going to give your kids what they want all the time?
No.
That's crazy.
Anybody seen the movie Yes Day?
Don't do it.
Yeah, all the kids have.
My kids are always like, when are we going to have a yes day?
I said, never.
Never.
You're never going to have a yes day.
Sorry.
I don't trust you that much.
The idea is whatever the kids ask you for that day, you have to say yes to.
You can't say no all day.
Like, no, no.
My kids are too clever.
They would figure out.
Anyway, I'm not buying you a car when you're 10.
All right.
I'm not doing a yes day.
So listen.
We are generous with our children, but it doesn't mean we give them everything they want.
God is generous with us, but it doesn't mean he gives us everything we want.
He gives us everything we need and so much more.
Truth is, we can make it without most of the stuff that we have.
But God has allowed us to have more than we need out of his abundance.
Would you go with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 8?
2 Corinthians chapter 8.
We're going to be here for just a little while before we get back to Luke.
Look at verse 1.
2 Corinthians 8.
1.
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia.
What's going on here?
Well, Paul's writing.
Paul's writing.
It's his second letter that we know of to this church in Corinth.
And he's teaching them about another church.
Actually, a group of churches in this place called Macedonia.
The church in Corinth was wealthy.
By comparison, they were well off.
Corinth was a big city.
The gospel of Jesus had touched many influential, wealthy hearts in Corinth.
And a church had formed.
And they grew.
And they were doing well.
And they had money.
They had resources.
And so these are the people that Paul's writing to.
And he's using this group of churches in Macedonia, a different part of Asia,
who were at the other end of the social spectrum.
These were poor people.
They did not have the resources to get by.
They're scraping by every month.
And they're trying to pull together and make it through and follow Jesus at the same time.
And so he's going to teach them something.
These wealthy people, spiritually gifted.
But you know something else about Corinth?
They were hesitant to give.
Have you ever noticed that wealthy people are not always the most generous people?
Sometimes they be stingy.
It's true.
Sometimes they are generous.
Sometimes they establish foundations and charities.
And they go out of their way to give back.
It's not always the case.
And in Paul's experience, this church in Corinth had been very hesitant to part with their hard-earned resources,
of which they had an abundance, to give to keep the ministry going.
However, he had the opposite experience with the poor churches in Macedonia.
So he teaches them in verse 2 of chapter 8.
During a severe trial brought about by affliction,
this church in Macedonia,
their abundant joy and their extreme poverty
overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
I can testify that according to their ability and even beyond their ability of their own accord,
they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints.
Not just as we had hoped.
They went beyond.
Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God's will.
So we urged Titus, the pastor there, that just as he had begun,
so he should also complete among you this act of grace.
So he's talking to this pastor in Corinth and saying,
look, help your church see what these people saw.
Help them unlock this grace of giving.
This act of worship of giving.
That this church in Macedonia, out of their poverty, they gave.
They didn't just give because they were asked to.
They actually asked us.
They begged us to let them contribute to the work that God was doing.
Said, look, we value this.
It's important to us.
We don't have much.
But such as we have, we want to give it.
That is generosity.
Whether God has given you much or a little,
it's having open hands and saying,
God, let me be a part.
Use what I have.
I might have much, but it's little compared to you.
I might have little, and it's still little compared to you.
But God, even though you don't need what I have,
let me have the blessing.
Let me have the privilege of giving it back to you
and investing in what you're doing
and return it to me, God,
because I care.
It matters.
I value it, what you're doing in this world.
I value what you've taught me.
I value what you've done in my life.
I value what you've done in my family's life.
So I'm going to go the extra step.
That's what this church was doing.
And that's what Paul was teaching the church in Corinth
by using them as an example.
So he says,
Now, as you excel in everything,
flattery always works.
You guys are great at all this other stuff.
In faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence,
and in your love for us,
excel also in this act of grace.
First Baptist Henrietta,
can I talk to you all for just a second?
You excel in many things.
Many things.
Excel also in this.
Be generous.
Hold on to things loosely.
Whatever that looks like for you.
You take that to God.
You pray it out.
Sincerely.
Sit down with God.
Sit down with your wife or your husband.
And you figure out what God has for you.
Be generous.
Because if we release
instead of hold on tightly,
then God can take what we offer up to him
and make it so much more abundant.
So much more bountiful.
And we can see God work in powerful ways
if generosity takes over our heart.
So, verse 9.
There's a principle here.
Generosity is not about wealth.
It's about worship.
Look back at verse 9, would you?
I can't say back because we hadn't gotten there yet.
But he's saying,
excel also in this grace.
I'm not saying this as a command.
Rather, by means of the diligence of others,
I am testing the genuineness of your love.
That's a key verse.
Verse 8, right before we get to verse 9.
I don't want you to miss it.
He's testing the genuineness of their love.
He's saying,
I know that you love God.
I'm testing how genuine it is.
I know that you say you want to follow Jesus.
I'm testing how deep that runs.
So now we get to verse 9.
Ready?
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Though he was rich,
for your sake,
Corinthians,
for your sake,
first Henrietta,
he became poor.
So that by his poverty,
you might become rich.
Not in your bottom line,
but in the wealth
of the goodness of God.
Has his goodness
transformed you?
Has it made you nicer?
Has it made you happier?
Has it made you more friendly?
Has it made you more approachable?
Has his goodness
changed you?
God wants to be so generous to you
with his goodness,
but you got to release
what you're holding on to.
So he says,
though he was rich,
for your sake,
he became poor
so that you
can then become rich.
Generosity
is not about wealth.
It's about worship.
Jesus gave up
all his wealth.
And he was the most generous.
We should be able,
be willing
to give up
our wealth
so we can embrace
his generosity.
Follow his example.
We've got to renounce
our possessions.
Hold them loosely.
Jesus didn't just
give an offering
in the offering plate.
He gave himself.
Listen,
we need the offerings
in the offering plate.
Like I said,
we've got to keep
the lights on.
But God needs you
to give yourself.
You need you
to give yourself.
And we need you
to give yourself.
My family needs me
to give myself.
Your family needs you
to give yourself.
to be truly generous.
Jesus didn't just
give an offering.
He gave himself.
So if you come
to church today
and you go home
and say,
man,
the preacher was just
preaching about money again.
He just wants us
to give more.
You missed it.
That's not what it's about.
It's not just about
putting an offering
in the offering plate.
It's about giving yourself
and letting God
change you.
Solomon,
the wisest man
who ever lived,
teaches us this principle.
Would you go to
Proverbs chapter 11
verse 24?
Generosity is not
measured in dollars.
It's measured
in discipleship.
Are you becoming
a disciple,
a follower of Jesus,
or does giving back
to God just mean
dollar signs
in your mind?
Because if it means
dollar signs
in your mind,
that's not it.
you're missing it.
Proverbs 11
verse 24,
give freely
and become more wealthy.
Be stingy
and lose everything.
The generous
will prosper.
Those who refresh
others will
themselves be refreshed.
Here's another
kingdom of God
principle
that's so opposite
from how we think.
And if you get
your financial advisor
in here,
you say,
wait a minute,
that's not true.
If you save more,
then you'll become
more wealthy.
Jesus is teaching
if you give it up,
you'll become
more wealthy.
Why?
Because you've tapped
into the supernatural.
You've tapped
into the divine.
You've tapped
into the kingdom
of God.
The power of God
is unlocked
in your life.
And then he makes
you wealthy
in the areas
that matter.
His peace,
his grace,
his forgiveness,
his joy,
his comfort,
his stick-with-you-ness,
whatever that is.
But he sure does do it.
We unlock
the potential,
the power
of experiencing
God in our lives
when we're generous
and give
to him
and to others.
So,
there's a principle here.
If we refresh others,
God will refresh us.
If we refresh others,
God will refresh us.
You know the first way
that happens?
By refreshing others.
How many of you
have helped somebody
and you felt good afterwards?
Yeah,
it's not just me.
When you refresh others,
God instantly
often refreshes you.
And it keeps going.
God is generous
toward us
with his refreshment,
with his blessings.
Generosity isn't just
good life advice.
It's a principle
of God's kingdom.
It's a law
of God's kingdom.
It's opposite
of how you and I think.
God wants to break through
our selfish thinking,
our selfish mindsets,
to see
that if we refresh others,
God will refresh us.
this is generosity.
This is talking about
being a generous person,
not someone
who just acts
generous sometimes.
You understand
there's a difference?
You can be generous
sometimes,
but you're not
a generous person.
God wants to change
you,
not just what you do.
Can we get that
through our heads?
God is less concerned
more concerned
about what we do
and more concerned
about how and why
we do it.
If he can change
the why
and the how,
then what we do
will fall into his plan.
What we do
will be according
to his will.
Romans 12, 2
teaches us
that he wants
to change
the way we think
and then all
of a sudden
we'll understand
the will of God
when we start
thinking like he does.
So,
real quick,
generosity
is a lifestyle,
not a mood.
It's not just
a mood that strikes you.
I'm going to be
generous in this situation.
It's a way
of life.
It starts
with a moment
by moment decision
but it starts
with prayer,
going to God.
God,
change me.
Make me generous
like you've been
generous to me.
We're going to get
awkward for just a minute.
Can y'all handle that?
You've got it
in your bulletin
if you've got that
in front of you.
We're going to try
to do this
throughout the series.
I hope that y'all
keep showing up
even though we're
doing this,
alright?
I'm going to say
God gives.
You say
we give back.
I'm going to say
how do we give back?
You say
hands open,
eyes up.
You don't have to do the
can if you want to.
You really want to
get into it.
Alright,
here we go.
Ready?
God gives.
Hey,
that was good
for the first time.
How do we give back?
Yes,
that's right.
Alright,
we're going to try
to remind ourselves
of that every day.
God has given
so much to us
we should be so willing
to give it back to Him.
And how do we give
back to Him?
Not stingy,
not protecting it,
our investment,
not guarding it.
Don't you take
two pieces of chicken.
No,
we give back.
Hands open,
eyes up
toward Him.
Alright,
one more time.
Ready?
God gives.
We give back.
How do we give back?
Hands open,
eyes up.
Yes,
amen.
So,
what have we learned
from God's Word today?
Number one,
generosity is not
about size,
it's about surrender.
Generosity is not
about the size
of your gift
or the dollar amount
behind it,
it's about how
surrendered your heart
is regarding
your possessions,
the things you hold
the most dear.
And then number two,
sorry,
generosity does not
subtract,
it multiplies.
We think that when we give,
we see the dollar amount
leaving our bank account,
oh,
well,
we're down that much.
Nope,
God is gonna take that gift
and multiply it
and give it back to us
according to His kingdom
and what is most valuable,
truly the most valuable.
And number three,
generosity starts with Jesus,
not our wallets.
I'm not asking you
to get on board
with everything
that you see happen
in the church.
I'm not asking you
to get on board
with everything
about the person
who is in need.
What I'm asking you
to do
is get on board
with Jesus
because Jesus
taught us to give,
to be generous.
While we were still sinners,
Jesus gave Himself
to us.
Let us not hold
one another
to a different standard
than God holds us.
Generosity starts
with Jesus,
not just reaching
for your wallet.
Oh,
the preacher just wants
more money.
That's not what it's about.
If you think
that's what it's about,
you missed it today.
The preacher
wants you
and myself
to be generous
like Jesus
has been generous
to us.
So what do we do
this week?
Number one,
open our hands.
We said it
just a moment ago,
release it,
renounce it.
Say,
whatever I have,
God,
if you want to take it,
it's yours.
If you want me
to give it,
it's yours.
Release
our hands.
Release
our possessions.
And then number two,
lift our eyes.
We're looking at Jesus.
We're not looking
at ourselves.
Man,
look how much
I gave this year.
The IRS
is going to be
so impressed
with how much
charitable contributions
that I can claim
at the end of the year.
It's not what it's about
and they don't care.
But listen,
it's about Jesus.
It's about Him.
It's about trying
to please Him.
It's about recognizing
how much He gave up
for us
and being willing
to give it back to Him.
We're lifting
our eyes to Him.
Hebrews 12,
2,
looking at Jesus,
He's the author
and the finisher,
the completer
of our faith.
He's who it's about.
And then number three,
we start small,
but we start now.
Maybe you haven't
been giving.
I was telling somebody
else this earlier.
I don't know.
By the way,
I don't know who gives
and how much they give.
I have no idea.
I do not see that.
So I don't know
if you're giving or not.
If you haven't been,
it might be hard
for you to jump in
and start giving
this massive amount
of money every month.
Start with something.
Just like if you haven't
been reading your Bible,
read a verse.
If you haven't been praying,
pray a short,
small prayer to God
from your heart.
If you have not been giving,
give something.
Five dollars is more
than you were giving before.
One dollar might be more
than you were giving before,
kids.
Do something,
but start now.
Say, God,
I want to start this.
I don't know how
I should do this.
I don't know if I'm doing it right.
It doesn't really matter, right?
It matters how and why.
So if you want to be generous
back to God
like he's been generous to you,
he will bless you
and he will guide you
on how to do that.
So,
don't wait
until you're wealthy.
Start being generous.
Start now.
Start where you are.
Hands open.
Eyes up.
That's the posture
of a disciple.
It's the posture
of generosity.
Jesus said,
renounce it all.
Give it up.
Hands open.
Why?
Because that's how
he treated us.
It's what he did for us.
He left it all.
Humbled himself.
And gave everything
on our behalf.
Would we not do the same
for him?
Would you pray with me?
God,
make us a church
that gives back.
Hands open.
Eyes up.
And use that
to make Henrietta
look more like heaven.
It's what it's about, God.
We're not here
on this earth
just to get all we can
for ourselves.
We're not here
on this earth
just to
grow our bank accounts,
to increase
our
personal understanding
of our security,
that
we're never going to
run out of money,
everything's going to
always be okay.
That's not why
we're here.
We're here to see
you transform us
and then use us
to transform
our community,
our families,
the circles of life
that you've given us,
that you've placed us into.
So use us
to give back,
hands open,
eyes fixed on you,
and do a powerful
change in our hearts,
God.
Every one of us
needs to be more
generous.
I need to be
more generous.
It's not just
what I give,
it's how and why
I give it.
It's keeping
that perspective.
God,
change our hearts
this morning.
Listen,
if you don't
understand
what we're
talking about today,
it's okay.
It might be
because Jesus
has not
forgiven you
of your sins yet,
you'll understand
the debt of gratitude
that we feel
we owe him
because of what
he did for us.
I quoted that
verse earlier,
while we were
still sinners,
Jesus Christ
came and died
for us.
That's what
it comes back to.
You and I
are not naturally
good people.
We mess up.
We sin
willingly.
We disobey God.
But knowing that,
Jesus Christ,
the perfect son
of God,
came down to
this earth,
offered himself
up as the
sacrifice for
our sins.
He hung on
the cross
and he died,
taking all of
our sin debt
on himself
and paying for
it once and
for all.
But he didn't
stay dead.
He rose from
the grave
because he is
God.
He's truly
the divine
son of God,
more powerful
than you and I
are.
He's not like
us.
now he offers
forgiveness.
Saying,
I paid the
debt of your
sin.
You don't
have to pay
it on your
own.
You don't
want to suffer
the eternal
consequences of
your sin apart
from God.
Accept my
forgiveness today.
So if that's
you, I don't
want to leave
here today without
giving you a
chance to
accept Jesus'
forgiveness of
your sin today.
Would you slip
your hand up
and say,
if that's me
right now,
I'm not going
to call you
out or make
you uncomfortable,
but I just
want you to
slip your hand
up and say,
that's me.
I need to put
my faith in
Jesus today to
forgive me.
Would you
slip your hand
up now?
Thank you.
I assume most
of you in the
room have done
this at some
point in your
life and you
would call
yourself a
child of God.
And so if
there's something
else that you
need prayer about,
say, maybe I
need to be more
generous.
Maybe it's
something else that
God's dealing
with me about.
Thank you.
God, you see
all the hands
and if I miss
some, you saw
them and you
know what's
going on in
their hearts.
Pray that you
would intervene
right now.
Let your spirit
and his voice
be so much
clearer, so
much louder
than any other
noise in their
minds.
In Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.
Church, thank
you for being
here this morning.
If you would
like to come
down and talk
with Jared,
he'll be
down front.
I'm going to
ask, who
can I call
on real quick
just that
wouldn't be
uncomfortable?
Bruce, I
got you, man.
Would you
mind coming
up and just
closing us in
a word of
prayer and
thanking God
for allowing
us to gather
and worship
today?
We thank all
of you for
being here.
Don't forget
about Wednesday
nights.
This is the
first Wednesday
of the new
month and so
Wednesday night
on the first
Wednesday of
each new month
we're going to
gather in this
room kids,
teenagers,
adults.
By the way,
a bunch of
y'all been
showing up
Wednesday night
and I'm
grateful for
that.
Thank you
for being
here, for
valuing the
community and
fellowship of
our church
together.
So we're
all going to
be in this
room this
Wednesday at
six o'clock.
We're going to
gather for some
worship.
We're going to
have a lot of
fun and then
we're going to
dismiss the
kids and the
teens to their
area and the
adults are going
to stay in
this room and
we're going to
get on our
knees and we're
going to talk
to God.
You don't have
to get on your
knees.
You can sit
in a pew.
That's fine.
But we're going
to spend some
time in prayer.
How many of
you all believe
prayer works?
Yeah.
I think just
about every
hand in this
room is raised.
I do too.
And so if our
church comes
together as a
church and
prays, I think
God hears that
and he'll work and
he'll act
accordingly.
So let's do
that.
I know some of
you can't be here
Wednesday nights.
You've got work or
you've got other
commitments that pull
you away.
But if you can,
come join us.
Come join us at
6 p.m.
We'll worship and
then we'll pray.
Probably about 6.30
is when the prayer
will get started.
And so be here.
All right.
Thank you much.