Wow, amen. Thank you ladies. That was incredibly encouraging and very exciting stuff going on in the children's ministry So let me also put a plug in for people who aren't serving in some way that would be a fantastic opportunity to do that Or if you have kids what a great way for you to get some more teaching for them Including in addition to what you're doing in the home just invaluable So a we are in a sermon series called the generosity of God and the freedom to live generously and so we're going to continue that this morning By looking at John 316 through 21 so if you want to turn there in your Bible, that would be good and It's on page 1130 if you're going to use one of the Bibles that we have underneath the chair in front of you John 316 through 21 Here now God's holy and true word
For God's soul of the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world But in order that the world might be saved through him Whoever believes in him is not condemned But whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God And this is the judgment the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light less his works should be exposed But whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God This is the word of the Lord Let's pray Father, we do thank you for your word and its power and for the way it reveals to us your grace and mercy and kindness and faithfulness We thank you for the power of your word And thinking about our children and the children's ministry. We thank you that your word is powerfully working in their little hearts and Lord, we thank you for the way your word works in our hearts Here in this room. We pray Lord that now as we talk about these things and think about you and focus on you Would you work in us and on us? Would you Help us to see the majesty and glory of Christ and Would you equip us to take the gospel and word indeed to our neighbors and to the nations? For it is in Jesus name that we pray Amen well, we are Using John 316 as a place to jump off from this morning. We will return to it in a little bit But we are in a series where we're talking about the topic of something the topic of the generosity of God and the freedom to live generously and we've talked about how really Studying God and seeing his generosity does have an effect on us and that's a good thing It helps us to grow in generosity as well. I want to just kind of touch on a few things that we talked about last week That would be important for us to remember or maybe know for the first time if you weren't here last week For example, we one of the things that I talked about was that generosity is something God wants for us not from us And that's a key thing for us to remember that God wants us to be generous. It's something for us He loves us. He wants us to have the joy of being generous like him I also we also talked about a definition of generosity Like this generosity is at its core a lifestyle in which we share all that we have Are and ever will become as a demonstration of God's love and a response to God's grace You might wonder why I'm laughing every time I read this. I think that is craziness You know, it's like that is kind of that's a pretty radical definition of generosity But then I realized that's why I love it Because you can't look at that and and want that and remain in your comfort zone And I know and I think you know that God grows us the most when we're outside of our comfort zone So thinking about Growing in a lifestyle of sharing and giving our things is a is a sweet thing And so we church we kind of build a foundation for Understanding how generous God is last week by looking at Romans 1136 where Paul tells us that everything Everything is from God everything is through God and everything is to him ultimately as well From him meaning that literally everything that we have is from God Talked a little bit about even if we have earned a paycheck and bought something that is still from God Here's a verse we didn't read last week what we sure could have Deuteronomy 8 17 and 18 says beware less you say in your heart my power and my might have gotten me this wealth You shall say or you shall remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the power to get well So it doesn't get any clearer than that right? Okay, even the things that we have purchased God has given us the ability to do so So everything's from him and everything is to him. We talked about that thinking about verses like Colossians 117 where The word tells us that everything everything holds together in Christ He sovereign over all things so he determines according to his infinitely wise plan what we have and when we have it and Then everything ultimately finds its main purpose in being to God Everything points to God's glory and reveals God's grace even a donut Which we talked about a little bit last week another thing? I want to remind you about in light of looking at the generosity of God and our freedom to live generously is that we We really want this to be about our hearts being transformed gospel transformation It's what we call it and so it's really not about you giving to the church It's really about us growing in being generous and so we I made clear last week I want to make it clear this week that if you do feel God Working in you and making you want to be more generous You are more than welcome to direct that generosity anywhere you want it doesn't have to come here It can but it sure doesn't have to you can give to a missionary or a peer church organization Or perhaps a neighbor in need or there's this website that's on the bottom of the screen here We welcome refugees calm We are using that website as a resource for our life groups and our families to try to think through ways that we might be able to Be generous and serve some of the millions of refugees that are coming out of Syria So that's just one possibility But nonetheless we focused on how God owns everything and This week we're going to really look at how he gives everything and I think if there's one thing to try to capture it What we're going to try to learn this week would be this that through faith in Christ we grow to enjoy being generous by seeing it as an act of Christ-like love Okay, through faith we grow in our enjoyment of being generous by seeing generosity as a very Christ-like act of love and so if you're making an outline we're really talking about two main things today how God owns How does God own things and how God loves how God owns and how God loves and I think I Would also say that in the same way last week Talked a little bit about how we we need to understand generosity in order to understand The gospel itself because generosity is when you give when you're not obligated to give and that helps us understand the gospel because God is not obligated To save us Another thing to see this morning is that we can't really understand God's love as deeply as we Are supposed to unless we understand his generosity It really helps us redefine our understanding of what love is by looking at what his love is So that's what we're talking about how God owns and how God loves take a look at Genesis 1 26 through 29 I've got it on the screen for you. You can turn there if you want Genesis 1 26 through 29 I want to take a look at this and recognize just a really powerful thing about it Genesis 1 26 Let me just make sure most you're probably familiar with where we're at here in Genesis But basically God has now created all things. He's about to create the last thing He's going to create which would be human beings and Here's what it says then God said let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea And over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them and And God blessed them and God said to them be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and Have dominion over the fish of the sea over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth and God said Behold I have given you Every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth and Every tree with seed and it's fruit. You shall have them for food So right there you see this this fundamental Characteristic of God's very nature Okay, he creates all things this huge wonderful lush universe and this planet earth and and in the process he he creates human beings as the pinnacle of his creation The only beings that are made in his image and then notice that he doesn't say to them now check it out Adam and Eve this is all mine. See this here this here. This is all mine. I made this. Okay You you stay away He doesn't do that. He actually just gives everything over to them He gives them dominion gives them access gives them authority to rule and reign to to have full enjoyment of his creation that he owns and then he says I'm giving you everything you're going to need to sustain your life giving them every tree every Plant-bearing fruit so that they will have everything they could ever want ever need to sustain their life. It is an amazing and beautiful picture and Really what we're seeing is that God owns by giving Right, I mean that that's kind of the the shocking reality What does he do with everything that he's created and everything that he owns he gives it? So that's how God owns God owns things that he Has made by giving them Kelly Capac in his book God's a love he gave helps us understand this he says while we often associate that idea of Ownership with locks and keys safe deposit boxes bank accounts and home security system God's ownership is fundamentally different unlike us God does not own by keeping but by giving
It's interesting, you know like God doesn't have any needs and he has everything that he needs right in himself He's self-sustaining his self-existent need is a creature word as AW Tozer said, but when you look at this and you see that that's how he owns things He gives it every gives it all away gives it to his his creation humanity It is just this unbelievable picture of the way he Handles what he's made he gives it away and it shows you the difference between us Like Kelly Capac says like we think we own things by keeping them So you see this vast difference? I think I saw this I was reading an article about a TV show called the briefcase I don't know if you saw the briefcase. They ran it over the summer on CBS very interesting premise the briefcase What they did is They went to a family who was in need and they gave them a Briefcase with $101,000 in it Okay, and they were told that they could spend the $1,000 immediately do whatever they want and Then they were told that the $100,000 is for them they can do whatever they want with it And of course the family you know breaks down in tears. They get so excited and they're just you know blown away Of course, then what they tell them what the TV show tells the people is there's another family That's really in need and they are given 72 hours to decide whether or not they want to give the money to this other family or at least some of it Now what's interesting and so spoiler alert What they do is What you don't know or what the family that's receiving the first briefcase doesn't know is that the other family is getting a briefcase, too So really what could happen is they could both choose to give to the other or one could choose to keep and the other to give and then they get everything And there's all sorts of dramatic possibilities, right? That's why it's on TV But here's what's interesting so I watched one episode of it and that was enough And and it was interesting because Immediately when they see that they're receiving this money They're like is this a joke is this a joke and when when the producers of the show say no, it's not a joke. They get really really Overwhelmed, right? But then when they are presented with this challenge of giving some of it. It just completely it's locked down They do not know what to do. They're so Tied up and there's so there's so much consternation. There's so much worry They're thinking about well, we need this and but but they need to and it's just this this wrestling match And it's the same exact wrestling match that any of us would have in that situation And the reason that we wrestle in a situation like that or just in when we think about the things that we have and we think about wanting to be generous the reason that we wrestle with Something like that is because we whether we realize it or not we always form these dependencies on things or on money or on Our possessions part of the the result of the fall our fallen human nature We we tend to create these dependencies on our things We we tend to begin to value and begin to trust and then depend on God's Gifts more than God himself And that's what really puts us in in a prison and so Thomas the campus he in his book the imitation of Christ He says something and I think helps us sort of figure out the route to repentance He says that a wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver And I think that what we can see from that and and just realizing the way that God owns by giving is seeing that repentance Then therefore is is recognizing really owning the fact being honest about the fact that we do tend to really trust more in the things that God has given us Then God himself and so repentance is actively choosing to trust more in God himself to depend on God himself Rather than to depend on these Good things that he has given to us and it's through repentance through changing our mind about how we view things and and Prioritizing and seeing that we want to depend on God That's what breaks us out of these dependencies which are really false dependencies anyways and the the sweet thing about that is As we depend more on God and less on God's gifts His gifts are more enjoyable to us because we're not depending on them for our happiness and Because we feel so much more free to let them go to give them away to people who may need them So it really changes things as we depend more on him and less on the things that he has given us which is so amazing I mean throughout the scriptures what we see is that what God wants us to want and to depend on more than anything is himself And in fact when he was speaking to Abraham before he changed his name in Genesis 151 He said do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield. So I'll protect you. You're very great reward He is God is God is to be our most prized possession And so repentance that's what it looks like it looks like switching those things where we we we depend more on God than on the things that he's given us How do you make that practical? I think I think at home it is a matter of thinking about how we manage our things or keep them from one another Even as a parent thinking about what are the things that I tell my kids you you may not touch these things You know and thinking well maybe maybe they should be able to touch those things Hopefully not break them But you know I'm saying like there's this disability for us to own by giving in our homes And to enjoy when our children or our spouse is enjoying something that belongs to us How does it happen at work? Well think about this if you own by giving think about the things that you have access to or authority over at work And maybe there's a way for you to shuffle things around so that someone else who doesn't have access or authority to those things Can do that. I mean maybe you have a a nice window office and you want to trade with a guy in the basement. Oh, there's no basements in Florida So you get out on that one. Okay, get a free pass on that one But no, I mean think about that What if you have an opportunity to give up something that you really enjoy for someone else simply To demonstrate the love of God and to feel the freedom of owning by giving college students Here's what I remember when I was in college if you opened up my refrigerator There were little names written on everything in there, right? You know what I'm talking about and you know think about that What does it say if if if a college student says to his roommates? Hey guys, what's mine is yours? And I know you're like it's a little dangerous map
But that's the type of freedom we're talking about that real true freedom of just enjoying if other people Use or borrow or even have and receive as a gift the things that that we have maybe as a family It's welcoming homeless people into your house to let them eat a good meal and take a hot shower All sorts of ways that we can look at what God has given to us and see it as an opportunity to own it by Giving it and as we do this it helps us see more and more the way God operates the way he has spent so generous To own his things by giving them to us now. There's a thing though. Not only does he own by giving but he also loves by giving Okay, that's another the next thing I want to talk about and really looking at John 316 to do that He not only owns by giving but he also loves loves by giving so let's talk about how God loves How does God love look at John 316 and what we see is that God loves by giving as well
John 316 says for God so love the world that he gave his only son That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life now Here's the thing when when I was younger I had a slight misunderstanding of what this is actually saying It was not a dangerous or problematic understanding but it was not exactly what is being said So I want to talk about this because we have to understand what is meant by for God so loved the world and we have to understand By what is meant by the world and so when when it's saying for God so loved the world if you're like me I used to think that was saying God loved the world so much That he gave his one and only son Now that's not wrong because God did love the world very much But that's not really grammatically speaking what is being communicated If you want to literally more literally translate John 316 it what it really says is in this way God loved the world That Greek word who to us that we translate as so that's what that means This is the way in which God loved the world This is how you love you give Okay, so that's one thing now about the world who is the world? What does the world mean or what it's John mean when he uses the word World and it what it really means is people in their fierce opposition and hostility to God This is the way in which God loved People in their fierce opposition and hostility to God to be another way that we could translate that listen to and It's kind of a long quote, but it's really just what's wrapped around that statement of people in their fierce opposition and hostility to God Kelly Capick says we must keep in mind that in John's writings world is Not normally a reference to the planet or creation in general although there is no doubt that God loves everything he has made but According to John the world represents people in their fierce opposition and hostility to God Elsewhere John describes the world as those who hate Christ John 7 verse 7 if the world hates you Jesus says remember That they hated me first John 15 18 in other words the world represents us in our rebellion against God a Revolt going all the way back to humanity's original fall from God in the garden and so right There once again, we're really confronted with the difference dramatic difference between The way God loves and the way we tend to love because our love usually flows to things that we're attracted to things that are friendly to us Which is nothing wrong with that that is a good healthy form of love, but it's but our love is very limited It's not like God's that God's love flows to that which is hostile to him fighting against him Okay, and that and that is the picture of grace that God's love flows to People who are hostile hostile to him our love tends to be for us We love things because loving them makes us happy and again. There's some good good things about that But God's love flows to people who are hostile towards him in order to make them happy right And it just shows this fundamental difference and he he loves those who are hostile to him because he knows that that love that power in his love can actually break people free from their hostility and Help them to live in a way where they enjoy God as they were meant to be it is such an amazing reality. I Think one of the stories That helps me Understand John 316 better Is the story of the missionaries who went to Ecuador to reach a unreached people group? Many of you have probably heard of the book through the gates of splendor and heard of these missionaries But let me just kind of give you the basic story of what happened So there were these missionary families they felt called by God to go and pursue this one particular group a very hostile Group in fact, they were known for killing pretty much anybody who came into their area of the jungle in Ecuador But these missionaries felt God Calling them to go and to share the good news with them So they went and they they found some ways to begin to try to give some gifts to them to try to show that they were friendly And and in hopes that they would return their friendliness with friendliness But and what basically happened is they They eventually landed their plane near where this tribe was and they they were able to start sort of somewhat Communicating a little bit obviously there's a language barrier, but things started out okay and then as God's interesting providence would have it several of the men of the tribe came running out of the jungle with eight foot spears and they killed the missionaries And so the amazing story is that all these these missionaries that were there on the ground right there they died Their wives it was a group of men their wives and their families ended up continuing after a time They continued to try to minister to this people group now It's in a phenomenal story because people from that group started becoming Christians and eventually The one of the men who killed one of those missionaries became good friends with the son of one of the missionaries who was killed It's a phenomenal story, but I think what is so gripping about it is Part of the story that's so fascinating is that when these missionaries were standing there seeing Hostility towards them, right? They these men are running towards them with these spears the missionaries had guns but having been Christ and having understood deeply the truths of the gospel and and wanting These hostile tribesmen to Understand the gospel they they laid down their lives. They gave up their their lives and they were killed And it is such a phenomenal picture of what is really Happening in the story of the gospel That humanity every one of us hostile to God we are the tribesmen we are the natives with the spears We are hostile to go, but instead of taking everything away Which he would be rightful in doing God so graciously like these missionaries what a great example of what happened in Christ instead of taking everything away God gives even more he gives himself he gives His only son Jesus laying down his life For us who are hostile to him and so you you take That reality that God loved the world in this way he loved the world in this way gave his only son and then you look at what's interesting That's John 316 John first John 316 actually helps us understand it even more and John tells us this is actually how we know what love is Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. I mean this is something that redefines our understanding of Love So that we begin to see more and more The way that we've been loved even though we were hostile to God and the way that We can turn and show love to others This is how we know what love is love is giving and especially giving to those who are completely undeserving. It is just Phenomenal it sets us free when you when we think about the way that we've been loved by God in that way even though we were hostile We still and we're still hostile. We are a new creation if you are in Christ But there's still remnants. There's still hostility in us in fact every every which way in which we don't obey God That's that remaining hostility that's still in there yet Because of Christ and his finished work on the cross God continues to give to us over and over and over again And so when the more we realize that that we've been given the greatest gift That Christ lay down his life for us the more it frees us to be able to give to others Regardless of whether we feel a deserve it we can we can choose as we give more things away To say this is me learning to love the way God loves This is me learning to show grace the way God shows grace Because the more we do that the more we give there are the things that we have out of love Especially to those who aren't deserving the more we really begin to understand what God has really done for us in Christ When we believe that on the cross Jesus paid for our sin and our sinfulness Even that remaining hostility That we have towards God that's all paid for that redefines love and liberates us to see That to give is to love and to love is to give God didn't start giving to us After we believed And he won't stop giving to us even though we still have remaining hostility in our hearts That's the good news of the gospel He gives because of the finished work of his ultimate gift Jesus Christ And that's how we will be able to give as well by recognizing the gift we've received and Wanting others to have it as well. Let's pray father. These are challenging things and I do confess that I I don't own by giving I don't love by giving But I think we want to I think I think we see this incredible Picture of how glorious and amazing you are we want that I think our hearts are longing for that, but it's hard. We don't know how to get there other than To trust you and to trust that you will continue to work in us So we pray for faith would you generously give us faith that we might move forward? In generosity that we might look for opportunities to own by giving and To love by giving And as we do these things and experience the joy would you help us turn back to you and give you all the praise for you alone Deserve the glory we pray in Jesus name amen