Foundations: Generosity Matthew 6

Generosity Review ◦ Infants= Feed on the Word ◦ Living Stones= Community ◦ Priesthood= Represent/Sacrifice ◦ Nation= Law of Love ◦ Belonging to God= Great Worth ◦ Sojourner= Not My Home

Generosity Review ◦ Passions “war against your soul” ◦ Keep you from becoming what God created you to be

Generosity What is Generosity?

Generosity Foundational Truth: ◦ Generosity is a mark of a follower of Christ and engages my motives, faith and source of security, resulting in unbelievable freedom

Generosity “Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven”- vs. 1 Giving to the Needy, Prayer, Fasting Righteous deeds bring reward?

Generosity “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”- Matthew 5:16 Contradiction?

Generosity "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full”- vs. 2

Generosity Jesus assumes that generosity will be a mark of his followers Has that been true historically?

Generosity Again- why is helping the poor and hurting so intrinsic to the gospel?

Generosity God goes Mr. T on a rich guy

Generosity And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

Generosity “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God”- Luke 12:19-21 Rich toward God?

Generosity …do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. What makes them hypocrites?

Generosity Generosity is an attitude that precedes and directs action “Acts” of generosity with wrong motives bring condemnation, not commendation

Generosity God is as concerned with our motives as he is with our actions

Generosity “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”- vs. 3-4

Generosity God says, “Don’t even spend time patting yourself on the back” “that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”

Generosity So God rewards his people for doing what they ought to do with what he gave them to begin with…

Generosity What do I have that did not come from God?

Generosity Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”

Generosity How?

Generosity There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered- Proverbs 11:24-25

Generosity "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal”- vs. 19

Generosity The illusion of security + The illusion of security + The object of faith = The object of faith = Idolatry Idolatry

Generosity Why is it an illusion? Why is it an illusion? How is the faith misplaced? How is the faith misplaced?

Generosity “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”- vs How?

Generosity I will treasure, concern myself with and protect that which I care about most

Generosity One of the greatest indicators of the condition of my soul is my wallet For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…

Generosity Is it really that important?

Generosity "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Generosity ”For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat ($$) I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink (Labor/Time) I was a stranger and you invited me in (Hospitality)…”

Generosity ” I needed clothes and you clothed me ($$ and Time) I was sick and you looked after me (Time/Concern) I was in prison and you came to visit me (Time/Empathy/Mercy)…”

Generosity "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?’”

Generosity “'When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’”

Generosity "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’”- Matthew 25:34-40

Generosity It is impossible to be right with God and not be pulled towards generosity for people

Generosity "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”- vs

Generosity Focusing on God and his priorities produce a soul at rest and a heart at peace= joy

Generosity "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money”- vs. 24

Generosity I can either serve money as my God or serve God with His money

Generosity Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Generosity "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Replacing money with God as my security and my Savior produces enormous freedom

Generosity ”Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” My value is found in God, not my house/car/bank account, clothes or hobbies

Generosity “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Freedom from the illusion of control

Generosity "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”

Generosity “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Worry over material possessions is a faith issue

Generosity “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?‘ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Pagans= ethnos- spiritual orphans

Generosity “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Generosity His Kingdom- “Love your neighbor as yourself” House, clothe, feed, visit in jail His Righteousness- Christ-likeness, evidenced in a generous spirit without need for the praise of men

Generosity “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own- vs

Generosity Takeaways: ◦ What are my “acts of righteousness?” ◦ Is my motive to glorify God and help others or glorify self? ◦ Do I need to repent?

Generosity Takeaways: ◦ Is money a source of anxiety and worry? If so, am I using money/seeking money as a source of security? A functional Savior? ◦ If so, am I willing to trust God as my security and Savior?

Generosity Takeaways: ◦ In what areas do I need to practice generosity, starting today? ◦ What conversations do I need to have with my spouse/family concerning money?