Keeping Sight of the Beginning, Part 2

Today on Senate life bank account. There are three things that you may comprise a biblical vision for money. You want to put all together is this, be smart, be wise to be generous, smart means you track everything that you stand and you will go with you know where everything is going be wise means that you save regularly to be generous means that you give extravagantly. The Bible teaching ministry of Jeannie Molly sure you know during any typical year. This, of course, not being typical. We see crazy news footage of the crowds of people shoving, pushing, trying to get a good deal on a new flatscreen TV and makes me think of that age-old question, did you own your things or do your things you an appropriate question to ask as we head into the holiday season. That might look a little different this year.

Pastor Janie continues our series called sustained faith with a message that he titled keeping site of the chamber showing Jesus entered Jericho was passing through and behold, there was a man there named Zacchaeus he was a chief tax collector, and he was rich, chief tax collector tax collector is probably not going to be on anybody's list today of favorite jobs so it's unpopular today, but back then a tax collector was more than just an unpopular government official tax collector was considered to be a traitor and a thief. Whenever the Roman empire took over the city as they had most of Israel wanted to extract large amounts of money for the Emperor from that city, but they knew if they put a Roman official bear to be in charge of taxation, not only would he be resented. He also would not know where all the money was hidden in the city to the Romans came up with a pretty ingenious system they appointed a native of that city and they said you're going to collect the tax from us. As you know where the money is missing here is what we expect you to give the eyes. Here is a squad of soldiers that you can use to extract massage and then anything that you get above that we require you can just keep from yourself.

So these guys these tax collectors. In this case a native Jew would extract huge sums of money from their old people for Rome and in the process that we get filthy rich because they keep a lot of it for themselves and they were doing this for a foreign oppressing Empire against their friends. People they grown up with. Usually their own relatives to stop here for a minute. Can you imagine a worse person.

The Jewish Mishnah said that a tax collector was so low that some this should not even be considered a human being.

Jackie is not just the tax collector Jack PS is the Arcata loan is the chief tax collector is a chief tax collector in the richest city in all of Israel mashing this. How much money have to have a hold on Zacchaeus's heart to do this what's this for three and he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd. He could not because he was vertically challenged.

So we ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him because Jesus was about to pass that way when Jesus came to the place he looked up and he said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down for I must stay at your house today for six or Zacchaeus hurried and came down and received him joyfully when they saw they all grumbled and said he's gone to be the guest of a man who is a center see there is a scandalous order to the story and that day to eat was someone to actually go into the house and share a meal was assigned a very intimate fellowship. Jesus is extending this invitation to Zakia's before he cleans up his life.

You see, every other religion in the world says change cleanup and God will accept you but the gospel reverses that the gospel is God has offered acceptance to you in light of that invitation change God's acceptance is the power that liberates you from sin, not the reward for you having liberated yourself.

She watches her site and Zakia stood and he said the Lord.

Behold, Lord the house of all my goods I give to the poor and if I have defrauded anybody of anything I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house.

Religion usually point out work.

This is IT is out there do that and you will be saved. But Jesus gospel is Zacchaeus. Salvation has come to your house that walked in freely as a gift, not because you deserve it and thought you did not deserve it for came in on its own accord dictating to you and saved you in response to that change. We little Zakia's is on the greater treasure than money.

The Lord Jesus Christ. There are a few lessons for us from Zakia's life number one money problems usually come from money idolatry. Idolatry is when something has become so important to you that you crave it like you can be happy without it. Zacchaeus worship money is the greatest thing that life had to offer. Here are some of things that we do for love of money cheating overspending. That's a money problem right there eating up with jealousy. You see what other people have. It just drives you crazy that you don't have that you gotta get that you hate them as a money problem that comes from money idolatry not being generous. You want to be generous but you just can't as you worship money until just before their true personality types that struggle would be generous. Unfortunately all of you fit into one of these two personality types write me to tell you there are some people when they get money they spend it right.

You get extra thousand dollars in unexpected what you doing. You're headed out about a flatscreen TV.

The new set of drapes new set of golf clubs. Take a vacation you're a spender there. Others of you get extra thousand dollars what would you do your saver you talk it away for a rainy day. Right now, here's the irony.

Both of you think the other one other personality type has a problem with money savers like members, spender's latest.

Gotta have all been nice.

I can have the bling in their life. The necessary stupid and you spender little savers when they are so scared always worried misers and Holland all the money but await another irony in God's wonderful sense of humor at least two personality types always get married to each other always so your worst marriage problems have come from that extra $1000 have a day because you can't figure out what to do with it and you put in point a finger at each other so you got a problem with money. Jesus, when he was diagnosing us all of this is Pat is probably the most clear passage on generosity. Matthew six he said this talk about personality types. He said to the spender you should consider the lilies of the field. The beautiful flowers. They will spend a dime in their beauty but God makes a beautiful right and what he means is not that it is okay to have some nice stuff just means that your main source of beauty and your main source of significant should come from what you own. What you where it should come from the God who is called. You have a plan for your life right then he turns around to the sacred. We say that although the savers like sticking to them and then imagers them, he says, and you savers auto consider the ravens men. They don't save a dime that will have a bank account.

But God takes care of them and what he saying is not.

It is wrong to save money. He's a saint. Watch your primary security in the future ought not be your bank account. It ought to be God so that he says seeks to both groups seek first the kingdom of God. His righteousness and all these other things be out of the are all these things.

Beauty and the security of your life. That's what he means, so that you list you have money, and God blesses you with any bison. I stopped you use money you save it because that's what a wise person does but need your money is neither your primary source of beauty or your security. God is the source of those things of God tells you to reduce your standard of living, so that you can give to his work freely because God makes you beautiful not to close and if God says I want you to give away part of what you save so that my work and prosper on earth you do it freely.

Could you say God controls my future.

Not my bank account you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness obey him in all things, money is no longer will you captive.

There are three things that to me comprise a biblical vision for money. You want to put all together is this, be smart, be wise, be generous, smart means you track everything that you stand and you will go into debt.

You know where everything is going be wise means that you save regularly to be generous means that you give extravagantly and I know you'll never be able to do any of those three things until you the money. Idolatry has been broken. You quit worshiping money. Number two, only an experience of the gospel changes our hearts attitudes toward money, only an experience of the gospel changes our hearts attitudes toward money. Zakia said not become generous. As I pointed out because Jesus commanded him to be between generous because he wanted to shimmy times were joyfully was repeated in their this is not about law.

It was about love. One afternoon we Jesus did more than 10,000 sermons of the wall.

Generosity can ever do because the gospel does will sermons cannot the gospel changes your heart gospel transforms you not into a person who just does generous things, but it transforms you into a truly generous person.

We even more than Zakia's have experienced the grace of the gospel that Jesus's last statement in the story explains the relevance of the story for us.

I skip them and read it to you now verse 10 for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

We see in Zakia's a story our story. We get a picture in the story of what Jesus did for each of us watch Zakia's was up in a tree because he was despised, and rightfully so. Jesus called him down out of that tree into the warmth of fellowship and he ate a meal with the irony is that the end of Jesus life, he would climb up into a tree.

Deuteronomy 2123 cursive is the man who hangs on a tree. The Jews considered every person who died on a tree to be despised and cursed Jesus climbed up in the tree and was despised so that he could give Zakia's the warmth of fellowship to see what happened. He traded places with Zakia's he got the scorn and derision. So the Zakia's could get the warmth of fellowship. He took the shame so the Zakia's could get the reward I say 5117 says he drank the cup of wrath are wrath.

God's wrath, his judgment poured out of the club. Jesus took it and drank it to the full on the cross and at all the wrath from Iversen put into his body so that at our Lord's table. He could offer us the cup of salvation he could offer us the cup of fellowship. He drank a cup of wrath. So I get the cup of intimacy. This is not just about Zakia's. I hope you see that this is about you because all we like sheep have gone astray return everyone to our own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Jesus, Jesus, what a friend of sinners. Jesus lover of my soul. Friends may fail me disclose or sell me.

He my Savior makes me whole. And when you see that you will need to be commanded to give what exactly is you will give freely without a command because your to see that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty would become rich to see that though he was God the loftiest position. He left a pretty became a servant so that he can release you from your servant hood in your captivity money into the things of the world you're going to see that, though he knew no sin. God made him to become sin so that you can become the righteousness of God in him. And when you see that when you experience that when you grasp that you're not going to need me to stand here and yell at you about giving me me to sit here and yell at you about sacrificing permission for anything.

But, generous person bodily and not just generous in one area I told you this. If you're only generous one area.

Not all areas that made you feel guilty about something. If you have been touched by the gospel.

You become generous with your time, you become generous with your resources become generous with forgiveness. I do not just generous in response to a sermon series.

You're generous for a lifetime because of what Jesus's time in you and for you is always saying the gospel to those people who truly experience the gospel become like the gospel. Those people who truly experience the gospel become like the gospel. If you have not become the gospel like the gospel. I would suggest you probably have never really experienced. This is no way the thing that most characterizes the gospel is that God so loved the world that he is only son, so that those of us who believe in him would never perish but have everlasting life. If we have been given to than those who reexperience the begin to give number three. This leaves me logically. I think number three. People who ask how much you will have to give.

Don't get many of us ask, how much is enough. What I did get got off my back. How much to fill my duty when win-win is God when I get the Goldstar people who'd asked that I'll never get it gospel giving is about love novel Sunbelt percentages about a person that TS is not meeting the standards, IT is pouring out his soul to God is one reason is that a reason people who ask, so I have to give them get it.did need your money right God's love and having consumers on earth, but I'm flat broke in the soma church got the money to be similar money I could get my Tinkerbell. I can assure you there are a lot of conversations happen in heaven. That is not one of them. People who ask, how much do I have to give have what is really helpful have organic shipping recall small pie syndrome. They think of resources would apply and so you limited pilot SME pieces in the pilot.

Cut a piece for you.

The next 1 Was Pl. for me and so I got I wanted to got a little sliver, but not enough to cut into my pyrite is in the format thinking is that the kingdom of God is about multiply pies to what God does it take apply five loaves and two fish. He multiplies it so that there's millions applies to feed 15,000 people letter, you are starving on a hillside because giving to God is not about meeting the needs of a God who speaks world into existence giving to God is about the worship of love of your heart God that need your pie got to make a new pie and giving away part of your pride is a reduced got ability to take care of you because God is multiplies a positive left right so you don't have to put small pie syndrome gospel giving is not about meeting God's needs is all sufficient never needed us gospel giving is about worshiping joy. That's why second rate is 97 ~2 weeks ago.

God only loves a cheerful giver, cheerful coast of the Greek word that we used to translate the word hilarious. God loves collect on those giggly givers was last time that happened when offering offered by Best Buy and you put money in Jessica giving God loves you and what is got only love cheerful giver. What is your loved your leaders must like that right like if I'm least you either landlord and you got tenants you don't hereby give you their rent cheerful you scared of exhibit right they have money you deserve. You need it. I never got to know about the IRS not once said how you pay your taxes, but were concerned that you do not give this cheerfully. We only love cheerful givers. They don't care what I giver I am going to pay my taxes. What is got only love cheerful givers because God is in need of money and the money is not about meeting one of his needs.

The money is about expressing the heart of devotion and worship to him is about pouring out a sacrifice of our heart to him to say I love you. That's why sacrifice is a necessary part of the gospel offering is not about meeting in need of God. It's about expressing the love of your hardness or sacrifice does King David and his life. God tells them where he wants to build the temple's on this piece of property, and so David can buy these properties to go to the guy who owns it doesn't are not bizarre, nice his head like a bye this field is got.

Most notably are the guys I you been a great King menu really help me out. I give this to you.

David says I disable 2424 no, I will buy it for a very heavy price because I will not given to the Lord that which cost me nothing to buy this point, David's life, he finally understood that giving was not about meeting on the that God had because it was about meeting a need in the field however got there we find David to know my offerings at the cost me because it didn't cost me anything. Didn't say anything about my heart to God.

Sacrifice is a necessary part of any gospel offering five years, I'd say that God measures her generosity, not by the size of the gift God measures her generosity about the size of our sacrifice. Sacrifice expresses affections most famous giving store in the Bible is a story of a woman very poor woman. In fact, comes in to Jesus a few days before he dies and he has she has little alabaster flask, full of perfume extraordinarily expensive.

In those days back they would say it took a whole, a woman, usually an entire year of saving money to be able to purchase just one flask of perfume. She comes in she breaks it, open the bottle with me. She's going to all but out of Jesus's feet. She weeps as she washes his feet with her hair.

Jesus looks at her. He was so moved that he says wherever the gospel is preached. This woman story of giving a sacrifice are going to be told as the standard for what it means to get to me.

Why was he so moved is because she meant to me know. Usually that concerned about how their dinner feet smelled on some people can smell right and if you want perfume to last forever. You'll put on your feet offering only lasted for 20 minutes. But the statement that that offering made about her heart to God. Got the heart of what God wants for his people and that is offerings that say God I love you.

And when the value of the offering was a statement of the soul. Every gospel offering the fact my vision God's vision. I think for this is a church not full rich people were meeting God's needs in Raleigh-Durham will be an idiot. God has no needs.

The vision is a group of people in this church with alabaster flask, all of whom are offering them up like Jackie is saying I love enemies in every single one of us gives in a way that sacrificial that states something about our heart about Jesus is value to us that woman her very valuable possession didn't matter anything at all to her.

Compared to the value of Jesus until she had broken it. Her heart was not where wanted to be with God's love and so might as well freak strokes of $200,000 check yes also praise God. It may, it may impress us, but if it does not represent the sacrifice of your soul and it is a mean anything to God because God's not needy or $200,000.

He's got to Brazilian dollars immediate every single gift that is offered to God ought to be done in a way that is a sacrifice of the heart.

I was so moved last year's different members of our church gave in ways under some delayed the purchase of a car under one that leads to some additions they want to put on their house and they permanently omit or lease the meantime postpone putting those additions on their summits.

All recreational tools like golf clubs or mountain bike want to give up a piece of jewelry to help with an adoption. I have several that cancel cable services and other luxuries that they were entitled to.

This is a way they can sacrifice in and give a new one who took pressure. Several took less vacation that year at least one who gave away a vacation home. Everybody in our church to have something they sacrifice.

I can tell you what it is among the Holy Spirit, but I can tell you to live a generous lifestyle. He lost the gospel one day that I can tell you � the Holy Spirit because he's God, not me back to say hey live a generous lifestyle asked the Holy Spirit what you want to put it all in front of him and say my security my significance.

My beauty is not found in these things meant and you and I will seek first about me you tell me get rid want me saying so that I can offer it out and import on your feet, not because of the value it has limited the statement is not my heart to God. You can have it because you're more than any of his ring out everything that's the challenge today from Pastor JD Greer unscented light wearing a short one week series called staying thing. If you'd like to hear the previous messages you can find them online@jdgreer.com and if you're new to summit life and you'd like to get to know us a little bit better sign up for email last you receive Pastor JD's devotional blog post as well as the popular wisdom for your weekend test.

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In fact we had this phrase with a lot the gospel isn't the diving board into Christianity.

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With also included a Bible reading plan that will take you through large sections of the Bible over the next year and this is the first week that it's available. To be sure to get in touch with ask for copy when you make a generous year intonation fixate 35 5220 866-335-5224 request about when you get online. JD Greer.com while you're on the website. You also like to subscribe to their JD's plot article With many other topics that we cover. Sign up online. JD Greer.com Molly that Yvette's today to do it again next time you wrap up our series again next Monday on Senate life JD Greer