The Generous Life
John 12:1-8 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
1. The Enemy of Generosity
-Selfishness is the enemy of generosity! We are born selfish. We master the word “mine” at a very young age. And sometimes we don’t grow out of it.
-Selfishness is a relationship killer! It kills marriages! It kills friendships! It kills family ties! And it can kill our closeness to God!
-Selfishness promotes self. Selfishness protects self. And selfishness provides for self. God is the one who is supposed to promote, protect, and provide for us. Selfishness wants to take the place of God in our lives! It is like a stronghold that the enemy starts early in our lives and he tries to fortify it as we get older.
-Judas shows his selfish heart when he said the expensive perfume that Mary poured out on Jesus was a waste. He said it could have been sold and given to the poor. Judas was trying to cover up his own motives by pointing the finger at someone else’s extravagance. He didn’t really care about the poor. Sometimes the perceived abuses that we holler about the most are the very ones we are giving in to. Judas simply wanted his own kingdom. He wanted all he could get out of everybody around him.
-Unfortunately, this kind of thinking isn’t limited to Judas. There are those who teach that serving God is all about us. But serving God isn’t all about what He can do for us. Yes, God gives to us and works on our behalf. That’s grace and salvation and God working in our lives. But service is about what we can do for God! It’s not about us, it’s about Him!
-Well, Judas was selfish, dishonest, and greedy for gain. In fact, Jesus picked him to be in charge of the money box. Jesus didn’t do that to set him up to fail. He did it to set him up to succeed! He gave Him every opportunity to overcome his selfishness by giving him responsibility in the area of his weakness. You might wonder if that really is the best strategy. Wouldn’t that expose his weakness? YES! Wouldn’t that mean he would be tempted to give in to his greed? Yes, but here’s the cool thing about temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
-Robert Morris shows a parallel between what Judas was doing and the tithe that belongs to God. Judas was in effect taking money out of the offering box. People would give to support the ministry and teaching of the Rabbi, Jesus, and Judas was taking it out. Now, I doubt there is anyone here who would actually take money out of the offering. That would be taking God’s money, right? Nobody here would take (or keep) what God says belongs to Him, right? But in Malachi 3 that’s what God said His people were doing by not bringing the first tenth, the tithe, into God’s house. He said they were robbing Him. Is it the same thing to not bring what God says belongs to Him and not offer it to Him as it is to take money out of the offering? I know this is coming on strong, but I believe that God still asks for the first and best of what He blesses us with, as a way to honor Him and remind ourselves that He is our protector and provider. Selfishness is the enemy of generosity and says, “I will promote myself, protect myself, and provide for myself. Generosity says, “I will release what does not belong to me, give from what does belong to me, and trust God for promotion, protection, and provision!
2. The Extravagance of Generosity
-1 year’s wages – that was the value of the perfume Mary poured out on Jesus. A denarius was one day’s wages. 300 denary was 1 year’s wage, once you take out Sabbaths, holidays or feast days, etc.
-Get this idea of extravagance! It would be one thing to give away a year’s salary. Think of 20 to $60,000 in today’s economy around here (+or-). That would be extravagant. But watch what Mary does. She takes that total amount and buys perfume and pours it out on someone’s feet. No giving receipts. No tax deductions. No goods or services received in exchange. Not even the satisfaction of saying you helped a family in need. -This was an extravagant gift to the Lord! What gift could you give to God that would be extravagant? How much would it take to impress God? 10,000? 50,000? 1 mil? 100 mil? National debt figures? Remember how much God owns? He owns everything! It takes a lot to impress God! Just think about His house, as described in the Bible. His streets are paved with gold. The foundations of His walls are diamonds. His gates are pearls. There are numerous other precious stones and gems. So, what amount of money would impress God? None. But something does impress Him!
2 Corinthians 8:3-5 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.
-Giving yourself impresses God! That is extravagant. But let me remind you that your wallet comes with you. Where your treasure is there your heart is also.
-3 levels of giving in the Bible: 1) Tithes, 2) Offerings, and 3) Extravagant Offerings.
-Most Christians never get to the first level. Only 5-7% of Christians give God the first tenth or more (to the local church, undesignated). But every person who gets to the 1st level also gets to the 2nd level. Why? B/c the curse is removed from their finances, the devourer is rebuked, and the windows of heaven are opened over them. Then, a few people will go to the 3rd level. Mary anointed Jesus for His burial.
-There was a young married couple in their first year of marriage. They were both working and both received very large bonuses. There were many things they could have used that money for as they were building their lives together. But they had a sense that the money was not for them. So they spoke to their pastor about it, and said, we feel like God wants us to give this amount. We don’t really know to what or to whom it should go, but here’s the check. The pastor then told them of a widow who had met with him a day earlier. Her house was going to be foreclosed on unless she came up with this large lump sum. The amount that she owed was exactly the amount of the check they handed to the pastor. They gave extravagantly out of obedience to God and found joy in doing so.
3. The Reward of Generosity
Mark 14:6-9 6 "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
-Generosity comes out of gratitude! Mary’s brother had been raised from the dead just a couple months earlier. Her perspective on finances changed. If you had a family member that died, and they were miraculously raised from the dead, would that change your perspective a little?
-Well, we have been raised from the dead! We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us come alive in Christ! We had nothing… no hope, no peace, no way out of our guilt and shame. But God raised us up and gave us life! Does that change your perspective and make you grateful?
-Mary poured the perfume out because she was grateful to Jesus! She didn’t do it for a reward or recognition. But she was still rewarded for it because God is a rewarder! Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This is the only time “rewarder” is in the Bible. 2 greek words: to hire or pay wages due to a person. 2nd word: to give extravagantly over and above what is normally due a person. God is a rewarder, giving what is appropriate but also giving extravagantly above and beyond. It doesn’t just say that God does this; it says God IS this!
-God may move on some of you to be extravagant givers. Why? B/c that’s who He is! And also because He wants to reward generosity. He wants to reward those who honor and obey Him when He speaks to them. Remember, it’s not about money. It’s about the heart! Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Are you tight with your treasure? You’ll be tight with your heart as well. It’s the age old battle that we all fight… the battle between selfishness and generosity.
-Maybe God has used something today to speak to you in your heart and mind, but you’re not sure what to do about it. First, let me say that if you haven’t made a decision to be a follower of God, that is the first step you need to take. He loves you and wants you to experience His peace and forgiveness. Maybe you’ve already made the decision to follow Him, but you want to take another step and make sure He’s Lord over your possessions as well as your heart. They go together. God is worthy of everything we could ever give Him. The minimum He asks for (even before the law was given to Moses) was the first 10th. Above that, people also brought Him offerings. 1 thing we do here at CLC is support missionaries so more people can know God. I’d like to ask everyone here to start somewhere with missions giving. Next Sunday: Faith Promises to God (Renew your faith promise from the past, or start new.) Between u & God, as He leads.
(Some thoughts and ideas borrowed from Robert Morris, The Blessed Life)
