Rooted: Generosity Is Our Privilege

Rooted: The Generosity Of God

February 13th, 2022/Riverside

We give from a blessing, not for a blessing.

We might say that we are blessed, but really what does that even mean?

One of our values at Pinewood is that generosity is a privilege. We don’t believe generosity is an obligation or a transaction, but an opportunity to respond in obedience to God with a heart of gratitude.

Title: The Generosity of God

Big Idea:

As followers of Jesus, we understand generosity because we serve a generous God! We lack NOTHING!

Passage: James 1:17 CSB

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Pray:

Main Points:

1. God loves you so much that He gave
   1. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 CSB

   2. Story: Love for my kids

      1. Something we’ve always said to our kids is “I love you this much”. And we would hold our hands out as far as we could stretch. Then we’d ask “How much do you love me?”. The reality is that, as a parent, we love our kids more than anything else in the world. We would do anything for our kids. We protect, support, resource, discipline, nurture, and pray for our kids. Jess and I work hard to set them up for success. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our kids. The same is true for our Heavenly Father.
      2. Sylah running in the street.
         3. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

      3. Knowing the mission Jesus was assigned to on earth, God gave the one thing that mattered most, His Son. And He did it because He loves you SO MUCH!

         4. God’s everlasting never ending Love

      4. He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. - Romans 8:32

         1. “For God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” John 3:16 2. Application: if God did not spare His own Son, why are we often so hesitant to spare a portion of our time, energy, or resources? 3. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Romans 8:35
            5. God’s love revealed - 1 John 4:9-11

      5. “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” CSB

         6. God’s love is generous!

      6. If you aren’t living a generous life, maybe you’ve never experienced the generosity of the Father! Or maybe we just need to be reminded of what HE GAVE.

      7. Jesus loves you so much that He died

         1. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8 CSB
         2. Jesus gave his life, for you and for me.

      8. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” - John 15:13 CSB

      9. The generosity of Jesus was not a portion of his goods, but the sacrifice of His life!
      10. I’ve given God my time, what more could He ask for?
      11. I’ve given God my career, isn’t that good?
      12. I’ve given God my sickness, my marriage, my money?
      13. Jesus doesn’t just get a portion, HE IS OUR PORTION!

      14. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20 CSB

          3. The Generous Gift of Grace

      15. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23

      16. The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. - Romans 10:8-13
      17. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

      18. The Holy Spirit points you to the Father’s love in Christ

          1. “If you love me, you will keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you. - John 14:15-17 CSB
          2. The Holy Spirit gives generously in every area of your existence!

      19. He creates and makes creative

      20. He comforts and carries us in our weakness
      21. He guides and leads
      22. He regenerates and brings about rebirth
      23. He sanctifies through conviction of our sins
      24. He is in tune with every detail of our lives! He sealed our salvation, he fills us to serve and carry out the mission of God, and He empowers us to live a Spirit filled life!
          3. God the Father - Provider (John 3:16)
          4. God the Son - Savior (Romans 5:8)
          5. God the Holy Spirit - Helper (John 14:16)
          6. In the goodness of God we are blessed! We have everything we could ever need! We are generous from this reality!

Closing:

“The world asks “what does a man own?” Christ asks “How does he use it?”. - Andrew Murray

In the Kingdom of God we are not owners, but stewards.

In the Kingdom of God we are not proud in our possessions, but we are humbled by His provision.

“Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:9-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“God, thank you for loving me by sending your Son to die for me. What great love I cannot comprehend. I give you my life. All that I have is yours! Fill me with Your Spirit that I might live a supernatural life. Help me steward your resources well and for your glory!”