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Colin Smith: How does God form rich generosity in a believer's life? Where does it come from? How could you grow in becoming a more generous person?

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us today. And Colin, let's back up just a moment and pick up on one of those questions there. How might a person become a more generous person?

Colin Smith: You know, the way we are reflects the thing that we most deeply believe about God. There's a bit in the Old Testament that says about people who worship idols, that those who make them are like them. In other words, you become like the object you worship. So the question is, how do I become a more generous person? The answer to discover in a deeper way the generosity of God. Because the more clearly I see his generosity, the more I'm going to grow in a reflection of that. It's a huge principle. People who have the idea in their minds that God is harsh and condemning and all the rest of it, guess what they're like?

They're harsh and condemning. That's absolutely it. Discover the generosity of God, the grace of God, the patience of God, and that begins to be reproduced in your life. So there's the answer. That's why worship is transforming. The more we see of his glory, the more it changes us. We become like him as we see more of who he is.

Steve Hiller: Colin, there may be some people listening who say, I don't necessarily see the generosity of God in my life. If you could see my life right now, you'd know that it is hard, it's difficult, it's one trial after another. How can that person begin to see the generosity of God?

Colin Smith: Well, I just say I'm so glad you turned on to the program today because that's exactly what we're going to look at in the scriptures. We're going to take a look at the generosity of God in Jesus Christ. May you see it.

Steve Hiller: Well, we're in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, so I hope you open your Bible and join us there as we begin a message, A Generous Church. Here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now I want to begin today just with a quick review of what we learned last time. Because we saw together last weekend that the New Testament really is one massive project in applying the gospel of Jesus Christ to every area of life. In other words, when Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came into the world at Christmas, died on the cross and rose again, becomes your savior and Lord, he lays claim to every sphere of your life. Nothing is beyond the reach of his saviorhood and his lordship. Think of what that means in relation to money.

He comes as your savior to set you free from the controlling power of money that is either the controlling power of what you have or the controlling power of worry about what you do not have or even what you used to have. His saviorhood touches that. And then he comes to you as Lord. If he is the savior and Lord of your life to direct the use of the money that he is Lord and God has trusted into your hand so that saved from the tyranny of its power, so you do not live under it, oppressed by it, you are able to be master over it and to use it in a way that reflects his character.

We saw that there are three distinct ways in which a person can give money or three distinct ways in which an organization, a church could raise money. One is out of guilt and we don't want to go there. The other is out of pride, we don't want to go there. Where we do want to go is giving and receiving of money that arises out of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we saw that gospel giving, that is distinctively Christian giving, is marked in two ways. It is distinguished first by freedom and second by joy. And the reason that distinctively Christian giving is always marked by freedom and joy is that Jesus Christ came into the world freely and that Jesus Christ came into the world joyfully.

And Christian giving is a reflection of the character of God being worked out in the lives of his own people. And that's why 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 9 is so central to the subject. You know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul says, that though he was rich for your sake, he became poor so that you through his poverty might enter into the riches of eternal worlds yet to be seen. Now if his spirit, the spirit of the Lord Jesus, so though he was rich, yet became poor so that we through his poverty might become rich.

If his spirit lives in you and in me, then our giving to him will reflect his giving to us. And that means of course that it will be marked by freedom and by joy. Now when I say that gospel giving, Christian giving is free, it is a matter of freedom, I don't mean by that that it is optional. Our Lord Jesus Christ made it very clear that his people, all his people would give. He said, when you give, Matthew chapter 6 and verse 2, not if you give. No, Christian giving is free, not because it's optional, but rather because our Lord wants us to decide freely what it is that we will give.

And that we will do that freely and joyfully in the light of our appreciation of all that he has done for us in Jesus Christ. In other words, and this is a very important principle to grasp and many Christians never get it. Some of us have been brought up under a very different tradition. We give in response to grace, not in response to law. If you were brought up in a system of rules about Christian giving, I want to try and move your thinking away from that. Because freedom and joy are of the essence of giving that reflects the character of Jesus.

No one forced him to come into the world. No one ever leans on the son of God. Now here's another reason why this issue is so critical. If you think about it, if giving were a matter of law, generosity would be impossible. Think about it. Think about your taxes. You pay them. You have to pay them. It's the law. Now you can pay your taxes dutifully, punctually, honestly, but you cannot pay your taxes generously, right? Generosity is only possible under grace. Now people who have understood that we live under grace and not under law may give more, the same or even less than people who are ruled by law.

The the critical issue here is not so much the amount because candidly, as you grow in generosity, the amount that you give over your lifetime will change as you grow in your understanding of what it is to be generous. What's really important here and the first thing for us to grasp is not so much related to amounts as related to character. The character that is being formed and generosity can only be formed under grace. Now I know for some of us this is moving us into a new world. We've just not thought about giving in that kind of a way before.

I was fascinated to read um in Tim Keller's new book. It's called The Prodigal God. Get hold of a copy. It's a wonderful little book that gets to the heart of the gospel. And he tells a story there about a woman in his congregation who he said had been brought up in another church that was very legalistic, very moralistic. And so when she had come to Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York as a young adult, she had in her head this framework that was quite convinced that God accepts us because we live a model and an ethical life, that God accepts us because we do certain things that he has told us to do.

And she came to Redeemer and she began to learn about God's grace in which through his death and resurrection he receives us and accepts us freely, not on the basis of anything we do at conversion or subsequent to conversion, but only through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And at one point this lady came and sat down with Pastor Tim Keller. And this is what she said. She said, this grace thing, that's a scary idea. She said, it's good scary, but it's really scary. Now let me quote to you what Pastor Tim Keller said to her.

I was intrigued, he says, and I asked her what was so scary about unmerited free grace? And she replied something like this. If I was saved by my good works, there would be a limit to what God could ask of me. I would be like a taxpayer with rights. But if it is really true that I am a sinner saved by sheer grace at God's infinite cost, there's nothing he can't ask of me. She said that's scary. It's good scary, but it's scary scary. See, that's why some of us are much more comfortable under law.

That's why Christians live under law. Just tell me what to do. Because I don't want to live in the boundlessness of free grace by which I am redeemed through Christ alone, by faith alone, through his death and his resurrection alone. Now I want to help you get this whole matter of giving out of the world of law and into the world of grace as far as your life and your giving is concerned. And when this happens, and it may take a while, but when this happens in your life, you will no longer be asking, what do I have to give?

You will begin to discover what this little series is all about, the joy of a truly generous life.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith in a message called A Generous Church. It's part of our series called A Generous Life. Now we're going to pause here, but we'll get back to the message in just a moment. Well, speaking of generosity, it is your generosity that allows us to bring you Pastor Colin's teaching each day, whether you listen on the radio, online, through the app, or however you've connected with this ministry. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a book called, What is Wrong with this World?

written by the late Tim Keller. It's a great book if you want to learn how to take your battle against sin seriously. You can find out more or give online when you come to openthebible.org or call 1 877 open 365. That's 1 877 673 6365. Or again, our website is openthebible.org. Back to the message. Here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: What would a truly generous church look like? And I want us to see from the passage, and I do hope you have the Bible open and that you will learn more of what it is to be learning from the word of God week by week. I want us to see two things today. A church that reflects the character of God will be generous in giving money and it will be marked by integrity in handling money. These two things absolutely critically important. Remember we're saying 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, everything you ever needed to know about giving or about fundraising or about the handling of money.

So these two things today. First, generosity in giving money. And we're looking at the first part of 2 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1. Now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given to the Macedonian churches. So we're going to learn now about what the grace of God can do in the life of Christian believers. And Paul has a particular example of these Macedonian Christians. And he tells us what God's grace did in their lives. Verse 2. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

So I want to try and build uh the pieces in this verse so that we understand them clearly. Let's start at the end. Rich generosity, the end of verse 2. How does God form rich generosity in a believer's life? Where does it come from? How could you grow in becoming a more generous person? What kind of things would God use to make that happen in your life? Well, this verse gives us a fascinating insight into the way God shaped generosity and formed generosity in the lives of these believers. Look at what God used. Number one, severe trial.

Out of the most severe trial, nobody wants to go through severe trial. But God often uses the severe trials of our lives to soften our hearts and to make us more sensitive to the needs of other people. And when you meet generous folks, look for this and you will find it's a pattern. I I've had great joy just in thinking about this in relation to folks who I know to be generous. And here's one thing that I see. There has been some severe trial in their lives and God has used it to soften their hearts and make them sensitive to the needs of others.

Severe trial has a way in God's gracious hand of cutting the root of selfishness in our lives. But then notice that uh Paul identifies a second factor out of which this rich generosity came. He says it's overflowing joy. See, severe trials just on their own can make a person bitter and self-absorbed. But when a person begins to discover the grace of God, verse 1, then you begin to find a new joy in Jesus Christ, all that he is for you and all that is yours in him. And so generous folks are shaped in this way.

Often there is a severe trial that breaks the root of self-centeredness and softens our hearts towards others. And always there is a joy that has been discovered in all that is ours in Jesus Christ. Put these two together and you have the beginning of a generous life. But then Paul adds one more factor. Notice he says it's out of extreme poverty that their generosity welled up. Now if you look at verse 3, you'll see that evidently the financial position of these believers in Macedonia was so difficult. They were so poor that Paul decided he wouldn't even ask them to contribute to the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem.

You know, these folks have so little I couldn't possibly ask them. And so what happened verse 3 was that these believers in Macedonia entirely on their own urgently pleaded, Paul says, with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the poor. They said, no, we want to be part of it. We don't have much, but we want to be part of this. And Paul is not saying here that you have to be poor in order to be generous. Obviously, there are generous people at every level of income just as there are mean and tight-fisted people at every level of income.

But Paul is saying that the extreme poverty of these folks made their generosity all the more remarkable. So I'm trying to put this in the way of a formula. What does rich generosity come out of? How does it well up? Literally, what Paul's saying here is it explodes. It exploded for these folks out of a convergence of three factors, their severe trial, their overwhelming joy in Jesus Christ, and their extreme poverty which just had the effect of multiplying how generous they really were when you consider how little they had. Now that leads me to make this important observation.

And it's a very obvious one, but it's worth considering. A person who makes $25,000 and gives 10% of their income is far more generous than a person who makes $250,000 and gives 10% of their income. Because it is far harder. Really, it's a challenge to try and make it in this wonderful place where we live on 90% of $25,000. Much harder to do that than to live on 90% of $250,000. So giving 10% of $25,000 is much more generous than giving 10% of $250,000. So I'm thinking about someone very very wealthy who gives, multimillionaire who gives 90% of all their income.

Now that really is generous. And he simply said, I have what I need to live. And I'm therefore going to regard what else is given to me as a means that I can give and much of it goes overseas for the relief of the most abject poverty in different parts of the world. So you see why you can't set a rule for generosity? When you have less, the generosity of your giving is more. Now think about this application. That means this is a wonderful season for growing in generosity, isn't it? Seriously. If folks who have lost 30 or 40% of their savings give what they did last year, that is more generous than it was last year.

Because it came out of less. That means it is more costly. That means it is more sacrificial. That means it is more generous. And that means it reflects more clearly the character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now you see what Paul is saying. The Macedonian churches were a model of generosity because of three factors. There was a severe trial which evidently had given them very soft hearts. There was an overwhelming joy which indicated the life of Christ in their souls. They were existing in extreme poverty which just magnified the degree to which generosity was formed as character in their hearts.

And the Corinthians who were much better off weren't there. Isn't this convicting? The Macedonian churches in their extreme poverty and they're so generous. And the Corinthians who are in this metropolis, this thriving city, and they're reluctant with regards to their giving. Now that then sets the frame for the real issue that's before us here. How is Paul going to help these reluctant givers in Corinth to become more like the generous givers in Macedonia? How's he going to help people who really live in a world of saying, how much do I have to give? How much can I afford to give?

If that's where you are, how could you move in the direction of a more generous life?

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called A Generous Church. And as we've looked at two churches today, the Corinthian church and the Macedonian church, maybe you find yourself a little bit more like the Corinthian church than the Macedonian one. But maybe you don't want to be that way. You want to give more generously. How do you begin that process? I mean, what does it look like to move in the direction of a more generous life? Well, that's what we're going to look at next time on the broadcast, so I hope you make it a point to tune in.

If you ever miss the program, come and listen online. Our website is openthebible.org and you can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. You can also listen if you have the Open the Bible app. That's free. You'll find it at your app store or we'll link you to it through our website, openthebible.org. We'll open the Bible as a listener supported ministry and that's exactly what it sounds like. It's your generosity that keeps Pastor Colin's teaching available each day. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a copy of Tim Keller's book called, What is Wrong with the World?

And Colin, who is this book for?

Colin Smith: Well, I'll give a very broad answer to that question, Steve. I mean, first, in the broadest category, I think this is a book for any thinking Christian. I mean, any thinking person actually needs to grapple with some fundamental questions. And what is wrong with the world is clearly one of them. The Bible addresses this very clearly and very directly. And this book by Tim Keller really gives us, I think, wonderful light not only on what is wrong with the world, but in God's mercy, how things can actually be put right. Then I think if you can drill it down, I'd say anyone who wants to understand themselves better.

Because, you know, sin actually indwells our hearts. And if you want to understand why you keep going on repeating things that you regret having done the last time, you know, there's an answer to that. What's wrong with you? Well, sin is actually in us. And this book really gets to the heart of the truth that sin is not simply bad things that we do. It's actually a power that's at work within us that explains the bad things that we do. And then one more thing. If you have experienced real evil in your life, you are not going to be impressed with being told that the source of evil is some kind of sociological deprivation or some economic explanation.

What you're going to need to deal with what has happened to you is the Bible's explanation of the reality of evil and sin in this world and the wonderful hope that there is healing and grace in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. So I think that many people are going to benefit from this and that's one of the reasons that we've chosen this book to make available this month.

Steve Hiller: Again, it is called, What is Wrong with the World? And it's our thank you for your financial support this month. You can give when you call 1 877 open 365 or at our website, openthebible.org. Again, the phone number is 1 877 673 6365. And our website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Hi, this is Pastor Colin again and I want you to know about what's your doctrine. What's your doctrine is a six-session course that is geared for leaders but accessible for every believer. The six sessions will introduce you to six central truths of the Christian faith, how we know God, how God speaks to us, how sin affects us, how God's spirit brings new life, how we're made right with God, and what Jesus accomplished on the cross. There are questions at the end of each session and you can use them on your own or you can discuss them with a friend.

For more information or to begin this free online course, visit openthebible.org/courses. That's openthebible.org/courses.