A Generous Jesus

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A Generous Jesus

A Generous Life

July 9, 2023 • Ps Anthony Liebenberg • 1 Timothy 6, Luke 18:29, Galatians 6, Matthew 6:21, Proverbs 11:24

Join Pastor Anthony as he unpacks the generous life of Jesus. In this thought-provoking sermon we learn about the generous nature of Jesus.

God is a generous God and Jesus is also generous and through the overflow of the work of the holy spirit we get to see that our lives are generous. We serve an amazing and generous God and we've all experienced God's generosity in our lives. We all have an example of God's generosity in our lives.

Proverbs 11:24 teaches us how the world of the stingy gets smaller while that of a generous person grows and that's testament to walking with Jesus.

Jesus turns our lives around for the better. In Jesus our lives become bigger as well, we see growth. If you want to understand God's magnificence then you have to understand what a generous life is. To be generous is to be like God because generosity is a description of God.

In the Bible we see that religious people were not generous and that's because they were legalists. They loved judgment and the law and this was opposite to who Jesus was.

A Generous Jesus

Jesus fed the thousands and this shows us that what He provides is always more than enough because He is the all sufficient one. So, because of His generosity and His nature, we as His followers need to be generous and embrace others around us. If the church learns this generosity then we will see the world change.

So what stops us from being generous

1. Fear:

Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear of not having enough can stop us from experiencing generosity in our lives.

2. Flesh:

We are selfish by nature and we don't like sharing. Our sinful nature limits us from being generous but in Christ and in salvation we are set free from this nature.

3. Frustration

We get frustrated when things don't go our way. We have unfulfilled expectations and this stops us from being generous because things don't work the way we think they should and so we lose heart and faith and become discouraged.

Luke 18:29 teaches us that God sees all we do and that our sacrifices are not in vain. So even when we give, we should not fear anything.

We need to practice generosity because In Jesus we see so much generosity. He never left people as they were, He was generous with every aspect of His life. - even with His coming from His throne in heaven. He was generous with His life, death, words and being. He is generous in every way.

A question worth pondering over:

Is a generous person kind?

Food for thought: Generous people are not always kind. A person can give to all sorts of charities but be a scoundrel in some area of their life. That's why we as Jesus followers need to be driven by a kindness which results in generosity. Anyone can be generous but not everyone can be kind.

There are 7 forms of generosity that we need to know of and exercise:

1. Thoughts

2. Words

3. Time

4. Money

5. Things

6. Influence

7. Attention

So, since Jesus always took the initiative in giving, we as people of God, must always seek out initiatives and ways in which we can bless others.

These are a few characteristics of generous people:

1. They are always satisfied

2. They say yes more than they say no

3. They ask 'what can I do for you?'

4. They do not talk about 'their' possessions

5. They are energetic

So, how can you be generous today?

Pour Until Something Happens

July 30, 2023 • Ps Sam Jones • 2 Kings 4:1–7, Proverbs 11:24

In this inspiring sermon, Pastor Sam Jones continues with the series of generosity. We learn that at times, God wants us to step out in faith with the spirit of generosity. God will and does love us so much in the moment but He also prepares us for the future. More often than not, we as humans get stuck and caught in the moment and we tend to lose sight of where we are truly meant to be. We forget that we are citizens of heaven not of earth and that's why generosity is important. Generosity is of God. Generosity is the way in which we can break the moment by inviting in the eternal. It doesn't look at what we don't have but it looks at what we have and is able to break in the moment and invite the eternal. When we are generous we are unlocking the view of our Father in heaven, unlocking His faithfulness and goodness. Generosity forces us to trust God. As human beings, our biggest battle with generosity is that we often feel like we don't have enough. We always worry about what we don't have. In the book of 2 Kings we learn of a story of a woman who persevered in the midst of needing God. We can also find ourselves in the same situation at times. In situations where we need God to move in our situations. Thus it's important to have faith and trust in Him. The message of the day is: Pour until something happens. Sometimes we focus on the wrong things or run to the wrong things because we focus on what we don't have. We need to change that, we need to stand on the word of God and focus on Him. Whenever we do that, like the widow in the book of Kings, God will use what we have. Whatever little we have, He can use, but only if we allow Him. We should never hoard whatever we have, be it time, resources or even our gifts. We need to pour out whatever we have and in that gap, we are inviting God. Whenever we pour out what we have then we are inviting Him to move and fill that space. As His children, it's very important that we fill our gaps and empty spaces with God. As people, we tend to be afraid of the gaps in our lives, but these reveal what we have. The devil wants us to focus on the little that we have and hoard it/ become selfish with it. However, that will not fulfill us. As our Father is generous, so should we be. That is why being generous is important. We should not be afraid of emptiness and gaps because those are an opportunity for God to fill us. As people we are not meant to hoard, but we are meant to pour out our lives. We need to understand that we are meant to continuously pour into others. As we pour out in generosity then our worlds will become larger and larger (Proverbs 11:24). So no matter what you have, keep pouring out. Don't focus on being full, God will fill you up.

A Generous People

July 16, 2023 • Ps Anthony Liebenberg • 1 Timothy 6:17, 2 Corinthians 8:1, 2 Corinthians 9:5, Luke 12:16, Proverbs 11:24

As we continue the series "A Generous Life," Pastor Anthony explores another aspect of generous living: being a generous people. As followers of God, we are called to reflect His generosity and become a testimony of His grace. Through our actions and behavior, we should reveal God's nature to others. When we engage in acts of generosity, we demonstrate the grace that God has bestowed upon us. 2 Corinthians 8:1 teaches us that generosity is an act of grace, and our ability to do good for others is a result of God's grace upon us. To begin this journey of generosity, we must first surrender ourselves to the Lord and establish a deep relationship with Him. God desires intimacy with us so that we can receive the blessings necessary for a fulfilling life. Just as we strive for excellence in our faith, speech, and various aspects of life, we should also excel in the work of grace, which is generosity. Our generosity is rooted in our relationship with God. As Christ followers, we must strive to be finishers, maintaining consistency in our acts of mercy and generosity. Breaking promises and procrastinating on acts of kindness can have a negative impact on us. So, to maintain authenticity, our generosity should flow naturally from a genuine desire to give and help others. We should stay true to our promises. In order to be generous and live a generous life we must be mindful not to consume all our resources without sowing into the next generation. Sowing generously allows us to reap a bountiful harvest which allows us to be generous. We must also note that through our harvest, our generosity should extend beyond personal gain and encompass the well-being of others. Whatever it is, be it our time, talent, and treasure; we should not be hoarded these selfishly but we must share generously with others. By being generous, we can positively influence those around us, inspiring them to sow seeds of generosity as well. Our actions should mirror God's character, drawing others closer to Him. Our actions should bring glory to God, acknowledging His goodness and drawing attention to His grace. Jesus demonstrated ultimate generosity by giving Himself for us. In turn, we are called to reflect His generosity by sharing generously with others. We must remember that every act of generosity is ministry. As Christ followers we must note that living a generous life is part of our design and purpose because of how God created us. We should not wait for future breakthroughs but learn to be generous with what we have in the present. By honoring God with our current resources, we open ourselves up to His blessings and cultivate a lifestyle of generosity. So start living a generous life today. It starts with you.

A Generous God

July 2, 2023 • Megan McCleland • Genesis 1, 1 Timothy 6, Psalm 6:3, Romans 8

Join this powerful sermon as Pastor Megan reminds us that generosity began with God. Generosity is God's idea. Genesis 1 Shows us that God was generous with His creation right from the start. From light coming forth and the ground producing fruit to the animals and all that He created, we see God's generosity. Genesis 1 v 27 teaches us of how God demonstrated His generosity by making mankind in His own image. We see from the beginning that everything came from Him. It's important to remember this because as humans we tend to forget that it all comes from Him. There are a lot of things man has created but man's creation comes from God's creation. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Him. God is the beginning of it all and He is generous, He provides for our needs. As a generous Father is towards His children, He asks us to be good stewards of His creation. That's why we can put our hope in Him because He provides for us. We have a hope that He will help us. 1. All good things come from God, our generous God Sometimes as human beings, we struggle with that because we don't see the good around us but Genesis teaches us that He was generous with His creation. When God looked at his creation He saw that it was good, thus His intention was good. Though in Genesis, we see the fall of mankind, God doesn't leave us in our fallen state. He intended for us to be good but we cannot achieve that on our own and so that’s why He gave us Jesus. We need Jesus to help us - to make us good. That's why He is our redeemer. We might fall and things might get corrupted in the world and we tend to blame Him for that corruption but we need to know that He is good and His creation and intentions are good. 2. He is generous in His thoughts towards us. God was and is not only generous towards us with His creation but with His thoughts towards us. God thinks about us - Psalm 6v3. Think about how a God who created the universe and all there is thinks and cares about us. His generosity is an overflow of His love and goodness, motivating Him to give. He wants to give to us. He can’t help but be generous towards us. So, before we can be generous, we need to understand that God is generous, we need to understand His generosity and we need Him to help us understand this. 3. God's most generous act towards us is giving us His son. God gave us His one and only son. Romans 8:31. If God can give us His only son, then how will He not give us all things? His hand is open, He is a generous God, so, don't put Him in a box. See Him for who He is - A generous, loving Father. Don't let your heart become hardened. See His love in front of you. After receiving all this from our loving Father, how can we not pursue a life of generosity? All we have is from Him. We came into the world with nothing so how can we not be generous? How can we not ask Him to use us for His will. We had nothing and yet He gave us so much. As followers of Jesus, who was a generous servant, we need to follow in His footsteps. We need to be generous with what we have as well.