Radical Generosity

 “Radical Generosity”

 Message @ Jericho Ridge Community Church – Sunday, Oct 6, 2013

Text: Psalm 37:21-26 // Series: Identity: Seven Things That Make You Unique

Well, good morning.  If you are new or visiting with us, welcome.  My name is Brad and I am part of the teaching and leadership team here at JRCC.  I want to invite you to come back in and take your seats as we continue with our teaching time together this morning.  A few weeks ago, I was driving east along 72^nd Ave just past 200 Street.  It was later in the evening I think I was taking a babysitter back home.  And I noticed a minivan that was pulled over into the turning lane and had its hazard lights on.  I thought about stopping to help but I thought about all the other things I had to do and so I did what some many of us do – I drove on past.  Well, after I dropped my passenger off, I drove back along the same route and this time, I thought, “You know what.  I don’t actually have anywhere pressing I need to be.  And if I was that person, I sure hope someone would stop and help me.” Now I was heading west, so I pulled over to the side of the road, rolled down my window and called out to the driver of the minivan to see if I could assist.  She replied and said “No thanks, I ran out of gas and my friend is coming with a jerry can.  But I tell you what”, she said, “This is the most generous & friendly town I think I have even been in.  I’m not from around here and if I broke down where I lived, not a soul would stop to help.  But I have already had 5 people now stop and generously offer to help me.  There’s something different about this town.  Something very different.”

So I pass that along compliment, Surrey – Langley…  This complete stranger formed an opinion about our fine city not based on all the signage telling her what a great place this is or the work of the tourism people or the fine efforts of city planners and leaders.  She based her favorable opinion of Langley solely on the generous actions of the people of Langley.  When she looks at or thinks of Langley, one word springs to her mind: generosity.  Which got me to thinking “I wonder why the word “generous” doesn’t immediately & irrepressibly spring to mind when people think of the Christians that they know?”  Why do so many Christians have a poor reputation when it comes to being generous?”      

We’ve been in a teaching series this fall called “Identity: 7 Things That Make You Unique” where we’ve been asking the question if you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, are there unique attitudes and actions that our to mark your life. And today we come to hotly contested ground: the ground of generosity.  As they looked at this series, a few people have pressed in and said “I know lots of people who are not Christians who are frankly more generous than my friends who ARE Christians.  So I’m not sure that this qualifies as something that makes Christians unique.”  That’s a fair critique in some ways.  Put another way, you might wonder “Is there anything unique or different about Christian generosity?  Why are Christians called to be Generous?  In order to answer that answer that, I want us to start where we have started with each and every one of these unique pieces of our identity: with the character of our Father in heaven.  Because just like every other one of these characteristics, they are imprinted upon our lives only because they are so integral to God’s character.  God is radically generous.  As you look through the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, God is repeatedly and consistently revealed to us as a God who is generous.   

• God forgives generously (Isaiah 55:7)
• He provides generously for our needs (2 Cor. 9:8)
• He pours our His Spirit generously (Titus 3:6)
• He gives wisdom generously (James 1:5)

Generosity begins with God.  It is a core element of who He is and how He interacts with us as human beings.  God so loved that He gave. And so when you and I are generous, we are perhaps acting most like our Father who is in heaven who is always generous.  I love how author Gordon MacDonald puts this in his little devotional on Generosity.  He reminds us that “God does not ask anything of us that He has not first done for us.“  - Author Gordon MacDonald

Because God is a generous God, as I grow in generosity, I am growing to be more like Him.  This is the point of a little poetic Psalm tucked away in the middle of the Old Testament.  Turn with me in your Bibles or on your YouVersion app on your smartphone to Psalm 37

Psalm 37 is a study in contrasts.  It is actually a masterful literary work that full beauty and complexity of which is a bit obscured by our English translations of the Bible.  When this was written, it was written in Hebrew and it was written as an acrostic poem.  Each verse or stanza begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Its core point is a teaching poem intended to paint a stark and potent contrast between those who follow God - the godly - and those who do not – the wicked.  Let’s look at the middle section of the text, starting in Verse 21 

“The wicked borrow and never repay,

    but the godly are generous givers…

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.

    He delights in every detail of their lives.

Though they stumble, they will never fall,

    for the Lord holds them by the hand….

The godly always give generous loans to others,

    and their children are a blessing.”  (verses 21,23-24, 26)

The Psalm goes on to remind that the Lord will never forget the godly, even in the midst of turmoil, He will watch over and keep them safe.  But his core element of the contrast between the wicked and the godly is around one key element: The godly are generous while the wicked are not.  The godly are reflecting the character of God and as such, they are generous in their business practices and decisions.  They are a blessing to others financially, relationally, and in every other way.  The Psalmist is making The Point: Godly People are Radically Generous People.  Because God is a radically generous God.  Looking through Psalm 37 I am struck by one thing, the godly are known for one thing: generosity.  The godly are generous givers.  The godly give generous loans to others.

You may still be thinking “OK, OK… I get it.  But we still haven’t talked about the contested ground here.  I know plenty of atheists who give a ton of money to good causes.  I know some people who would not call themselves Christians but who give generous loans to others.  We still haven’t demonstrated what makes Christian Generosity distinct!”  It’s a great question that bears some additional investigation so let’s look at this theme of radical generosity as it is developed in the Bible. 

I think the first thing that can be said is that for Christians aspiring to be Radically Generous People, it’s about much, much more than money. Radically Generous People Give MERCY not just MONEY.  Anyone can give time or money to a cause or another person, but when a Christian gives, they give a part of their heart with their resources.  This is what Jesus is driving at when He says that where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Your mercy and your money are gifted together.  Your heart, your thoughts and prayers and talents and best efforts all flow toward where your resources are allocated.  This is actually what God is most interested in when He invites us into the process of generosity.  Not that we give Him our money, but that we give Him and others our hearts. 

In other words, Sacrifice is what distinguishes generosity from giving.  Anyone can write a cheque, but radically generous people know that it is not at all about the amount, it is about the cost.  This is why God instructs us as people of faith to release our hearts and our resources toward those who are in need in our world.  To spend ourselves on behalf of the poor.  Look with me at these Scriptures…    

•  “Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.” (Deut.  15:10)
• “Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9)
• “Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” (I Timothy 6:18)

Christian generosity is sacrificial generosity on behalf of another.  It is investing in the thing that is most precious to God: people.  And when you and I make generous sacrifices to see that the poor are fed, widows and orphans cared for, the disenfranchised receive love, we are not just giving of our time or our resources, we are connecting to the heart of God. 

I have a friend who was sick and tired of always feeling guilty about being asked by people who approached him on the street for money or food.  He felt like he never had a good answer for a question that he knew that he would be asked.  So he purposed that he would make a generosity decision and always carry $10 with him.  And when someone approaches him, he knows that he has the capacity to at least make a dent in their immediate need.  He doesn’t give it away everyday but he isn’t asked every day.  He just wanted to know that if God asked him about how he treated the poor, he wanted to err on the side of mercy and action and not indifference.  And so as we come into Thanksgiving and then on into Christmas, as we receive applications for our team to Guatemala in 2014, I want you to ask yourself: Question: Is your generosity linked to God’s heart for justice?  Generous people make sure that at least some of their resources are expended on behalf of those in great need. 

Often times, people use Statistics on Giving here in Canada to make a point of how little people give to charity. But I want you to look at this

StatCan Chart: Reasons for Making a Financial Donation

What stands out to you?  What stood out to me was the high percentage of people who gave not to fulfill some kind of obligation or to get a tax credit or to feel less guilty about themselves and their standard of living.  This shows that 9 out of 10 people who gave to charity in Canada gave because they feel compassion towards people in need.  Their mercy is connected to their money, as it should be. 

But again, this is only part of the story.  It still doesn’t fully explain the difference between the wicked and the godly or between Christian generosity and other people who are givers.  What else does the Bible teach us about Generosity?  Radically generous people give mercy not just money…   

Radically generous people also Give CONSISTENTLY not CONVIENTLY

Here’s we’re getting more into the heart of what it means to be generous.  Generosity is connected to our intentions in that When we give our talents, ideas, resources or time only when we have surplus, that’s not generosity!  Generous people keep first things first. I love how this is articulated in Isaiah 32:8

• “Generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity” (Isaiah 32:8)

Here I think of my fitness routine. This spring, I had fully intended to run 2-3 times a week.  It had been working well for me last winter but for a whole chunk of reasons, I fell off the wagon and ran very, very little.  Basically, I let other things take first place in my calendar and then I would try to sneak a run in wherever there was space.  Not surprisingly, there never seemed to be spaces for me to run!  My plan was built on running when it was convenient as opposed to running consistently.  Thus it was a failure!      

Here’s my point: I don’t know a single person who is radically generous who tries to squeeze or jam generosity into their schedule or budget.  The people who I know who excel in giving away their time, put their volunteering into their calendar first and then build the rest around it.  People I know who excel at giving away their finances, do it off the top and not only when they have some left over at the end of the month.  Generous people PLAN to do what is generous, and then when they are tested to be less than generous or redirect their time or talents, they stand firm in the plan that they made.  So my  Question:  Do you have a generosity plan for how you will         invest your time, talents, treasures this season?

If not, you will likely give only when it is convenient, which is nice.  But that sure isn’t generosity.

Let’s look at our last characteristic of people who are radically generous.  They give mercy, not just money. They give consistently, not conveniently.

And they Give INDESCRIMINATELY not RECIPROCALLY

This one is the hardest one for me. I really wrestle with this one because when I give, in my heart of hearts, I expect something in return.  Which means, I am giving expecting some element of reciprocation.  But here is where Christian generosity really ramps it up because God’s generosity is

Lavish recklessness characterizes God’s generosity.

Look with me at what Jesus says in Matthew 5:44…

• ” Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?” (Matthew 5:44-46)

In other words, God gives without discrimination and without needing anything in return.  He gives to both those who love Him and those who curse His name and deny His existence.  That’s how generous He is!  I, on the other hand, give mostly to those whom I feel will thank me or think well or me or perhaps give something back to me in return. 

I can remember being with our team in Guatemala and we were doing what we always do there, distribute wheelchairs to people who have mobility challenges.  And I can remember seeing this one guy about my age in the lineup.  And his legs had been crushed in an accident so he couldn’t work.  And when we do distributions, it is an act of trust and faith because we bring a fixed number of chairs not always knowing who will be there.  Will there be more kids or adults?  So seeing this guy, I wanted to make sure we had just the right chair for him.  So I went to our supply line and picked out what was one of the nicest chairs that had been donated from here in Canada.  It would have cost hundreds of dollars here and was in amazing condition.  And I am thinking how this chair can change this guy’s life.  He would be able to get around, maybe work and provide for his family and I am getting excited to see him fitted in his chair and so he comes to the front of the line and our team gets him all set up in this chair and in my limited Spanish I ask him what he thinks.  And I am expecting him to gush with thanksgiving “oh thank you!  Thank you all for coming all the way from North America with this amazing chair.  It’s going to change my life.  Thank you, thank you thank you!”.  So I’m waiting eagerly and the guy looks me in the face and says “Do you have one that isn’t pink?  I don’t want it if it’s pink.”  And I was taken back.  Here we had done all this work for this guy, we had raised funds for his chair, brought it all the way from Canada, specifically chosen this chair to suit his unique needs and he is ungrateful because it’s not the right freaking colour?!!  I had to walk away because I was about to say something very un-pastoral to him.

But as we debriefed that experience as a team later that night, it occurred to me that even though I was here in Guatemala to serve and be altruistic, I had in my heart and expectation that our generosity would result in expressions of gratitude.  I wasn’t’ giving just to get those, but I did expect them.  The question that I had to wrestle with, and still have to wrestle with is this.  Question: When you give, what do you expect to get in return?

When God gives, He expects nothing in return.  This is the heart of Christian generosity.  We don’t’ give to get something, we don’t’ give to people who are “deserving” of our gifts or our time or our energy or who are in the same socio-economic bracket as us so may return the favour at some point.  We don’t give $10 to the poor mandating that they “use it wisely”.  We don’t’ give to charity so that we can feel better about ourselves or get an income tax receipt at the end of the year.  We don’t give of our lives and our mercy because we want to ease our guilt. 

We give generously because our Father in heaven gives and gives and gives and gives with no thought for what He might get in return.  Lavish reckless characterizes God’s generosity.  And this is seen most clearly in what He gave up for you and me.  I John 3:16-19

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.”  The most generous acts are never financial – they involve giving of yourself.  This is what we remember as we gather for communion.  We remember that Christ generously and willingly gave his own body for us and so we commemorate this by partaking of bread together.  He graciously poured out his own blood for the forgiveness of our sins.  And so we remember this by partaking of the fruit of the vine, grape juice.  And we invite all who are members of God’s family to participate.  This is His table, not JRCC’s.  I’m going to invite Ron and the worship in song team to come.  I will also remind you that our prayer support team is here and wonderfully willing to serve you and your family during this time.  Some of you have come with heavy hearts and burdens of a difficult season or week.  Don’t bear them alone.  These are people who would love to talk with you more about what you heard here today and lift your request or points of celebration up to God.   Don’t reject their generous offer.  As we take this bread and cup, let’s ask God to form us into a generous people who will be known in the world as representatives of His lavish generosity.