A Generous Spirit

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer $5000 mattress, but it cannot rest you the latest joint to give you a comfortable retirement but not give you abilities of thy peace with God and your openly met all the things you were seeking restrooms that you enjoy your fulfillment and not what you were after bosses is uncertain, author and as always I'm your host Molly, you know, most people began to squirm when the pastor starts talking about how we handle our money.

Some come from churches where wealth is looked down upon as a sign of worldliness or greed, and some feel guilty for having a nice house or robust savings account.

Others may have been burned by prosperity teachers who used false promises to manipulate the congregation into getting what does the gospel really teach us about wealth and generosity. Pastor Jenny titled today's message a generous spirit, open heart and open hand as we hear these truths from God's word Bible.Chapter 15 judge of all of Russia coming for the series that we are calling gospel and we are talking about the revolutionary power of Christianity. One of things I've given you throughout our time together is this way that we are using to give you a picture of what growth of the gospel looks like these are five or six things that come out of John 15 Jesus, I will be true of you for your planted person would look that Jesus is changed you he is using the usual hunger for his word gives you the capacity to face the praying of the first week the second week we talked about how God increases godly character and Austin the gospel we become more patient with others.

We develop self-control and kindness and goodness of all the other fruit of the spirit and we talk about community when Jesus changed, you develop a love for others that supported his love for you so you start to want to pour out your lives for others, especially the church the way the board is out for you and we talked about how Jesus changes you.

You are compelled to go outward to tell people on your team or your dormitory or at your workplace.

You don't know Jesus you're moved outward on this when you look at generosity out what the gospel produces in us is a generous spirit. Now before we jump into that. We just cut this is not something was doing for a series. This is something that we want you to be able to use just about a metric to help you measure how you're growing in Christ fights her way to do a generosity this week.

Generosity is the side that you have been transformed by the gospel, it shows up all over John 50 Michelle you were the main places John 15 verse 12 Jesus said this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, someone like that is life for his friends which of course Jesus is talking first about him for us to talk about you and me lay down our lives for others. The mark may say this again. The mark that you have experienced the gospel is that you possess a generosity of spirit, the love of God for you produces you a love for others.

A lot of us grew up in India in different churches that emphasize different marks that had been convicted of event you experience God, but some of you grew up in traditions where if you will experience God then you got to have some ecstatic moment with the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, and you got there would always be a little Holy Ghost answer from everybody and started to speak and say things you did know what you were saying analysis on a guy was a you grew up in traditions like some of you grew up in traditions where the sign was you went to your first Communion you went to a confirmation class and you got stood up and presented in front of the church. I was assigned to God is among some of us grew up in traditions that decide that you had God into your life as you suddenly conformed a set of rules that put you squarely in the middle the 1950s right so it God. Jesus really come in your heart person. You did your dimes. You cut your hair short and this is what Jesus like nevermind he'd have long hair. When he was here but but now he's got a change these ideas if you like a crewcut for guys if you were a girl and you quit wearing the skinny jeans I promise not a bad idea but decided you to experience God if you are girl you allowed to have one subtle hearing in each year that it is like up in your load stop at for prostitutes but I member who backs in Edris got a new one.

Subtle hearing if you're got only think about it. Nothing on you should be pierced when I want hearing in the left ear just lets us that you gotta come in you that you have all this is moral behavior. Of course start about Republican started to hate the demonic jungle being of rock music and you develop this in*desire for the Gaither vocal band that was assigned.

The guy was in you, but these are all signs that you love Jesus, you develop a passion for potluck dinners. I was a another one. These are the signs that God is in your course, most of that. All that is is pretty ridiculous, but there is an unmistakable mark that Jesus is coming to you and that is love for others, particularly other believers.

This issue generosity the issue generosity as a part of a believer's life.

Get this is mentioned 2285 times in the Bible July 12 bottles a big bucket and surprise me. Hope is mentioned 185 times. Faith is mentioned 246 times love 733 times generosity 2285 times what does that tell you it tells you it is essential. The apostle John would say this another place, something I read the gospel, John said to someone about epistles, which were not wives of the apostles, but they are the letters that you are to the church. First John 314 we know that we have passed out of death into life. How we know that because we love the brothers. It's not how much or how often we attend church that shows that we pass from death to life. It's how we talk about people on the way home after church that shows whether or not we have experienced gospel.

Whoever does not love abides in death by this we know love that he laid down his life for us how to become another love of God that haven't was because God articulated the doctrines of his attributes to us in the careful, precise manner that we memorize what is and how we did it reflect systematic theology textbook on our dining room table is a master. This is not how it taught us the love of God, those things are important, certainly no. In this context, the way that he demonstrated the love to us was by laying down his life for us. That's how the invisible character of God became tangible to us. That's how we felt and perceive the love of God, not by the articulation of doctrine, by the laying down of his life for so he goes on to say, so we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers because that's how other people know God's love as well, not by just our articulation of the love of God, but by our demonstration of the love of God for 17 if anybody has the world's goods, and they see his brother in need, yet they close their heart against him, how possibly God's love abide in him. How could we possibly say that we understand Jesus who, according to the gospel. Saul asked when we were his enemies. When we were separated from him been left haven't emptied himself came to earth, died a tortured death in our place. How can we say we perceive that men see somebody who has a need, whether it's spiritual or physical that we know that we could meet that me and we just turn away from them. John says that's inconceivable, inconceivable, ripe and conceivable inconceivable to say that you have experienced the grace of the gospel, and not be moved to give. For others the way Jesus is given for you to as little children, but is not love in word or in talk, but in deed and in truth, not in word or taught.

But indeed are in true Christian love is not just a doctrine to be articulated as a lifestyle to be pursued. Our witness is both word and deed without word the gospel has no clarity without deed has no power. Both of them are essential a lot of people if they got a slight thing about this because personal resort guard without word lobby why this is like this.

It sounds spiritual, but it really is ridiculous, but bodily only tell people about Jesus.

I just cannot live the gospel.

I like the statement of Francis of Assisi preach the gospel if necessary use words.

How do you preach the gospel without using words but watch a newscast with the sound turned off you might know you're excited about something you might as long as you have no idea what sound turned off. How do you preach the gospel without words just it's it's it's impossible. If I say and tell me your phone number if necessary. Use digits your phone number is digits you have the gospel is more without word, the message has no clarity but without the deed the message has no power, the demonstration of the love of the gospel that is shown in camping. That's where the real power is always go together.

The explanation of the gospel with our mouths and the demonstration of the gospel of our lives. Sometimes churches like ours are pretty good at the preaching of the explanation part or not so good demonstration part I give you the third part of the gospel prayers as you have been to me so I will be to others. I will warn you, this is a radical life changing dimension. If you pray this new meaning God the same way that you have been generous to me what you your resources with me. That's how I'm going to start to approach others everywhere. I see them. That will lead you to a pretty dramatic reorientation of the trajectory of your life because it is generosity in response to the generosity of 13 in a message titled generous spirit. One of the things that we hope to impress upon you in this current teaching series is that the greatest joy comes when were working overtime to impress God when were serving him from the platform of gratitude this thing that makes the difference is the gospel. You might think of it only as the message delete when you first trust in Jesus so much more amazing gifts that God gives us doesn't merely punch our ticket to heaven.

It powers everything that we do as believers, giving us the power to change toward holiness make these lessons you're learning personal with our session video Bible study, simply titled gospel reach out today in support of this ministry and give us a call at 866-335-5224 go online to and shady Greer.com and get this Bible today. I will try to show you why the gospel produces a generous spirit today so I want to go to another place in the Bible for the clearest places where this is explained in this first Timothy chapter 6 the first chapter 6 organist for the rest of our time now to say this as many of you returning there, I need you I need you as much as possible to separate this issue that I'm about to talk about I just separate this from giving to the church. The reason I say that is because I know some of you right now are to be based on my generosity thought money. He wants our money. I know that's what many of you think that maybe you had bad experience with churches and maybe is a fully justified thought, but I can tell you that is not what this is about. It got so much so that I would say this without the slightest ounce of exaggeration that is a problem for you. Honestly, get the money somewhere else. If you feel like hey I just can't trust you thought.

This is all about about that somewhere. I am much more concerned. Honestly, I'm much more conservative you learning to respond to the generosity price become a generous person that I am with meeting the budget of our church just you.

This is about you becoming generous response to Christ. Okay she can we do that we separate those issues first and be chapter 6 number 70 a lot of this passage. This is completely like brought clarity so much my life and my budget. As for the rich. Paul says in this present age. Now let's stop right there. You really think this passage is not for me because I'm not rich. Here's a little sociological insight about Americans. Nobody in America thinks the rich. Rich is always one or two levels above or you are right, I saw Della Boyd of the data prove this. Without corporate survey. They asked people what qualifies you as rich so they asked a group of people whose household income was $30,000. What what level of household income makes you rich. You $30,000. The answer that you gave was $75,000 unit $75,000 or more. Your filthy stinking rich. They asked people who make $50,000 for their household income. What amount of money that you rich rancher, $100,000 you write a six-figure barrier you were to swim in a money. The most commonly given answer in America to what income qualified.

He was rich, was $120,000, except of course for the people that made $120,000 and then they felt that what made them rich was to be in the $200,000 range might look a little perspective here.

If you earn $37,000 a year. Your combined household income is $37,000 a year you were in the top 4% of the wage earners in the world. 96% of the world is poorer than you. If you have if you or your combined household income is $45,000 a year you were in the top 1%, the same article talked about Bill Gates visiting India to talk to some little old lady in the village in India and went after some talking to her reporter comes up this lady and ask if she realizes she is talking to the richest man in the world and look the little ladies responses. Of course everybody from the West as rich. In other words, if you would been the next person to talk to this lady after Bill Gates she want to put you in the same category as Bill Gates. The point is, this is all a matter of perspective. When you compare us, even the poorest Abbas to other societies around the world. We definitely qualify as rich a mission trip and then you come back here right and you start to think about what's normal here. Many of you have remodeled some part of your house that's not that unusual.

Try explaining that to a person in another culture you have heard of the functional part of the house and we just like it was so 1995. So we got a perfectly functional part of the house and putting something it went up early functional counseling to set out on the on the on the on the on the street but we got a new person on the other cultures like what you will sit on the floor was going, you have leftovers in your refrigerator right you feel frugal when you eat those leftovers you have leftovers which leads you had so much food at one meal you could NATO do you put in the refrigerator. You have a garage, other cultures like what you got you got a whole house just for your car. There's things in the middle of your sink you put garbage in their know you put food that you even think qualifies as often the storage unit where you put stuff that you do it yet. Put it somewhere that has air-conditioning that you can figure out what you could do it for later. My hope for you is you deftly qualify for the first part of this verse like it's just a matter of perspective. This applies to you right applies to you that we also use that first phrase today with another objection. There some thinking out there right now that basically says that churches who take Jesus seriously will have any rich people because people who love Jesus will give all the money away. Based on this passage that can't be true if there were no rich people in those first churches, there would've been no need for that warning.

God expects yes all of his followers to be generous, but that doesn't mean that some of them are not still rich, even after they are gospel generous for single chapter 2 verse seven, Hannah says God make some poor guy make some rich but welcome poverty come from the hand of God, which means that God has made some of you rich.

Even after being generous. You are still rich and he did that for a purpose and you are not supposed to feel guilty about it. That's a much when you got in just a little bit expects all people to be radically generous, but that is minutes about March the rich afterwards.

Here's what Paul says rich people in the next several verses best exclamation of gospel singer generosity anywhere. First thing he tells you because you what not to do with money for 70 charge them not be haughty to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us everything to enjoy. Number one he says do not be haughty when it do not be haughty with money money very quickly becomes the measure of our status and our value because money allows you access to things that others don't have access to other people would love to live in the neighborhood you live in, but they can't do people love to drive a car that you drive, but they can love to sit in that part of the airplane and you get the city but they can't. They think that they would love to wear the kinds of clothes that you wear but they can't. And what happens is you start to think that you were your significance is directly related to your financial status.

And Paul says that means you don't understand the gospel at all, because the gospel is that you are a sinner who deserves well but is loved by God and redeemed by his blood.

You're worth comes from his grace, not from your inherent worldliness.

There is no difference in class to God.

There is no difference in race there is one class and race, and that is fallen sinner. There is one solution for all people of all races and all class and that is the precious blood of Christ with it, which is without value to those people who are in Jesus have a unity that exceeds all B's class distinctions and they have a worldliness in themselves that exceeds their inherent network medical worthiness of the blood of Christ, so you understand the gospel. He says don't be haughty because everything that God gave you his grace. This is number two. Don't center of sonnet don't set your hope sonnet. Many of us base the security of our future on how strong our bank account. How secure are employment how stable our retirement plan is for many of you the idea of losing your retirement.

The idea of making a bad investment or a bad business deal.

Having your identity stolen. Losing your job. These are devastating thoughts to you right because that's where your security is you have gotten so accustomed to luxury but you could imagine living without it now is your hope is been set on those things. Well, like the finer things no no you you like finer things for you can afford, use, develop a taste for them after you could afford them and how you can imagine life without them because you set your hope on those things. And truth be told they bring more significance to your life than God himself does.

That's why you could not imagine life without that level of creature comforts and status pulses is a problem with AC first was uncertain money is uncertain even the most secure plan is not foolproof not realize that now the Wall Street crash order. However, many years been no have we not at least understood that in this why so many people are in such disarray because what happened is the God that they worship the crucified. That's why through you into a tailspin.

That's why devastate you because you had a false God you worship that instead of got it.

It was uncertain. It did not help you. So God knocks things down. By the way, what happens when you get a call from a doctor that says you have terminal cancer. What your money do then any rich people have I sat with who could afford the best healthcare but then suddenly they get something that no doctor can fix what happens when your marriage begins to fall apart.

How many rich people have I sat with him goodbye a small state, but to keep her marriage to get what I was when you lose control of your children and things that you thought money could help help it's uncertain.

He said it's not something to base your life on money can buy you a $5000 mattress, but it cannot buy you rest it can buy you a house, but not a whole can buy you the latest toys but can't give you joy it can send your kids to the best colleges, but it can't make them wise, they can give you a comfortable retirement.

But not give you ability to guide peace with God and you're ultimately getting that second things all the things you were seeking rest, enjoying the moment you were seeking a stable family were seeking stability in that which were after bosses uncertain number comes from missing money is less than the number one competitor God or maybe right are you serving many of us are slaves to our finances but when we dive deeper into the gospel soak in the truth of God's word freedom really can be found. You're listening to some it life. The Bible teaching ministry of pastor, author and theologian Katie Greer pastor Jenny.

Sometimes we think of the gospel as this one time event that appears only at conversion, but that's a really shallow view is that you know all the Bible writers, particularly the New Testament ones show you that the gospel is not just the way that you begin the Christian life. It's also the way that you grow in the Christian life. That's a major theme for us here at Summit life is that is that it's by going deeper into the gospel that you grow more alive in Christ gospel is the one thing the one thing in the whole Bible that is directly referred to as the power of God other than Jesus Christ himself. Gospel is the only thing that's called the power of God. This month Molly, we are offering a resource of video-based curriculum that I created called gospel that that will will will take you deeper into what that means. Like, what does it mean to say the gospel is the center. How do you go deeper in it. It's foundational it's like quark for my own kind of approach to preaching and in ministry.

The gospel Bible study kit. That's what you'll you'll you'll get. It has two DVDs five study guides so that you complete the study with others, and a copy of the book called gospel. So it's like it. Missing is an incredible package and I think it will really help you both felt yourself, your family and them with other people.

Take a look at this bundle of resources we have for you this month really excited recommend this discredit JD grid.com thanks Katie for many of us, we are ready to dig deeper to know God on a new level watching your copy of pastor Jenny gospel Bible study today.

When you support Summit life with generous financial get $50. Call 866-335-5228 six 633-5224. Give online clear.com JD are our.com I mounting that if it's encouraging you to join us again tomorrow and will continue how our financing here Friday on rear