Well, amen and good morning, church family. As
I said earlier, we are back in Ecclesiastes,
and as you heard in the call to worship, we're
going to be confronted with pursuing generosity
and wisdom. And it's not just to the end of seeing
you fill the baby bottles or increase church
giving. It's really seeing the heart of God in
generosity. And even connecting with last week,
as some of you might remember, that we're called
to a risky life and we're called to be generous
with risk. No guarantees, but yet it's a worthwhile
endeavor when done according to the Lord. Go
ahead if you have your Bibles and open to Ecclesiastes
chapter 11. Last time we wrapped up with the
theme of wisdom versus folly. And one of the
repeated themes of last time was that sometimes
a fool is put into leadership. And no, I'm not
making any political commentary whatsoever. That's
reality. You can think about it at work. You
can think about it in politics. You can think
about it throughout history. That is reality.
Sometimes the leader is inexperienced. Sometimes
they are just plain foolish. Now you can't stop
it. It's not good for the people, but it is an
opportunity for God's people to trust him, to
pursue wisdom, and to be thankful even for little
things. Now a common response to a foolish king
or to... foolish leadership might be to hoard
resources for yourself to look out for yourself
because you don't know what's going to come next.
I know many people today do the same, buy resources
and store items for the future in case of a natural
disaster, a nuclear fallout, government collapse,
etc. And look, I am not coming for the preppers
here. If that's you, don't be mad. There's room
for conversation, I think, actually, about wisely
approaching the dynamic of just simple freeze
-dried food and potable water. I don't think
that that's a foolish thing in and of itself.
But Solomon is going to have words for those
who put too much trust, too much emphasis on
their own provision. The reality, though, for
an overbearing leadership is that the people
often become prone to only look out for themselves.
It's clear the biblical record Solomon was very
hard on the people. You think about all those
building projects he pursued. They weren't free.
They didn't just get funded by trade deals. No,
again, I'm not making a commentary about today,
okay? Taxes went up. So did labor. The people
had to work hard. There's a testimony. You don't
have to turn there. I'm just going to paraphrase
it. But there's a testimony in 2 Chronicles 10.
The people appealed to Solomon's son, Rehoboam,
to lighten their load. They said their yoke was
heavy under your father, under your father Solomon.
Now in his foolishness, Rehoboam, he listens
to young advisors, his friends that he grew up
with. He rejected the counsel of the older men,
the older counselors who were with him. Then
he foolishly said that he would be harsher than
his father. That his father, disciplined with
whips, but that he would discipline with, some
of you remember, scorpions. That's what Rehoboam
said. Now, what do you think that harshness of
Rehoboam did to the people? How do you think
you would respond if you appealed for a lighter
load, for less burden, and yet you were told
that it's only going to get 10 times worse? How
would you respond? Well, in the biblical testimony,
The people rejected Rehoboam. They rejected his
leadership. They rejected the house of David.
And they all went their own way to look out for
themselves. Harsh leadership and hard times often
lead to people being selfish. Now, with that
as our stage, we can read Ecclesiastes chapter
11, verses 1 through 6. Let's go ahead and stand
for the reading of God's word. I'm just going
to preface real briefly the statements here.
They're not very familiar with our context today,
but we are going to walk through each one of
them so that we can have a clear understanding
of God's word. Ecclesiastes chapter 11, verses
one through six. Cast your bread on the surface
of the waters and you will find it after many
days. Divide your portion to seven or even to
eight for you do not know what calamity may occur
on the earth. If the clouds are full, they empty
the rain upon the earth. And whether a tree falls
toward the south or the north, wherever the tree
falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind
will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds
will not reap. Just as you do not know the path
of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb
of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work
of God who works all things. Sow your seed in
the morning. And do not put your hands down in
the evening, for you do not know whether morning
or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both
of them alike will be good. Amen. You may be
seated. Now, I doubt much of that made sense.
Not our context, but I pray by the end of our
time today that you're going to have a firm grasp
of Solomon's wisdom here regarding generosity.
Let me quickly remind us of the progress we've
made so far. So looking at the outline of the
book. There we go. We're nearing the end. I'm
not going to read all the portions of it, but
you see that we fall within this larger final
section of prescription, the prescription for
living with vanity and practical encouragements
to consider as Solomon makes his observations
about life. So now let's come back to that thinking
in the beginning about a harsh yoke promoting
a leader or a government that's so oppressive
and bringing suffering that people's response
is just to hoard things for themselves, keep
it for themselves because you don't know how
much harder it can be. Can you think of any similarities
among circumstances or situations today? Did
it come to your mind how natural it is for people
to hoard resources? Toddlers do it really good.
Now sure, you might be thinking, but Adam, there's
kindness at times, right? In hard times, I hear
on the news the testimony of kindness. Sure,
God's common grace can show up through all kinds
of situations, but don't you think it's much
more normal that when humans go through hard
times, they keep things for themselves? You know,
after World War II, it was common to hear testimonies
of Germans who lived near concentration camps
saying that they didn't know what was going on.
They had no clue such evil was happening right
next to them. No clue why those horrible smells
kept coming from the smokestacks. Did they really
have no idea? I'm not here to judge a heart,
but I can ask a question. Was it more convenient,
more comfortable, more safe to feign ignorance?
How about today? Take socialism. Some of you
know what's happening in Cuba. Some of you pay
attention to the news. Yes, there's a blockade.
Resources are scarce in the country. But do you
know the reality of life in that country even
before the blockade? They have a corrupt government.
The top leaders, those in power, they get everything.
While the average common person has suffering.
Cuba's government, like all socialist government,
it's no different, sees great wealth and prosperity
for that top level of people, those who are in
power. And then there's immense suffering, widespread
suffering for common people. And I've seen this
around the world. It's not a narrative of politics.
This is reality of life under the sun. So if
Rehoboam didn't learn and Cuba's leaders haven't
learned, what does that teach you about the human
heart? See, corruption and selfishness are at
the core of every human heart apart from God.
And that's where Solomon's wisdom comes to bear.
He recognizes that he was a harsh leader. The
people said it. Your father was harsh. He did
tax too much. He put too much pressure and burden
on the people. He was not a perfect leader. But
he learned. And what he learned, he applied.
And it applies not only to leaders, but also
to those under leaders. I hope that throughout
this series, it's become clear to you that the
materialistic life or hoping in this world and
the things that this world offers, I pray that
it's become clear to you that that's what Solomon
is warning us about. Don't find your hope. Don't
find your treasure. Don't find your trust in
things here and now. It's all vanity, he says,
right? It's a breath. It's a vapor. It's soap
bubbles. So enjoy it while you can. Because life
is fleeting, but make sure your treasure is sure
in the life to come. We need to learn that possessions
and wealth don't produce joy by themselves. Now,
yes, money and wealth can bring moments of pleasure.
Sure, it can. It can bring happiness and wonderful
memories and more. But to have a meaningful or
significant life, you need more than memories
and happy thoughts. The cure for a vain life
is one of meaning and one of purpose. Now, in
the previous chapter, Solomon taught us this
boomerang principle. Some of you know this saying
that what goes around comes around. See, it's
common. Now, it's a norm. It's not a promise
that generally things go that way. What he tells
us in the previous chapter, you should avoid
speaking wicked things about the king. Why? Because
it may come back on you. and the harm may befall
you. So that's the negative side of it. But now
he's going to teach us that the boomerang principle
can also apply to righteousness. What you do
may come back to you. So now look down at the
text, chapter 11, verse 1. Cast your bread, for
you may find it after many days. Now scholars
are split on the meaning and application. Some
think that it's all about investment strategy,
while others think that its focus is on charity.
Now, in both cases, the same principle is at
play. Whether you invest or you're kind to others,
you don't know the future, and a blessing may
come back to you. Now, the reason that I'm convicted
towards the meaning and application of generosity
is historical context and hermeneutical continuity.
I know it's fancy words, but we're going to explain
it. Now, some of you have heard of the Jewish
Targum. It's an Aramaic version of the Old Testament
text. It's not really a translation, but it's
a version with historical and theological context,
kind of like a commentary or an interpretation
within the text, expanding on the original text
to make it more clear and relatable. It came
about because after the Babylonian exile of the
Hebrew people, the common language was no longer
Hebrew. They didn't understand their Old Testament
text. So to solve the problem, a translator would
stand alongside the reader of Torah and translate
verses into Aramaic on the spot. And over centuries,
those oral translations were then standardized.
They were expanded upon and eventually they were
written down. Now for this very passage, the
Jewish Targum says this. I want to show you it.
Give your nourishing bread to the poor who go
in ships upon the surface of the water. For after
a period of many days, you will find its reward
in the world to come. Now, while the Targum is
not an authoritative or inerrant word of God,
it did serve as an intentional commentary of
the word up to that point. And it would be immensely
more accurate in identifying intent and purpose
than anything we would imagine today, orders
of magnitude centuries later. Further, there's
an old Arabic proverb that actually reads very
similarly to this. It says, do good, throw your
bread on the waters, and one day you will be
rewarded. Now, it's very likely Solomon was using
this commonplace metaphorical proverb to help
people not to be stingy, even if you have a harsh
leader, even if times are difficult. But be careful
to think that the motivation for giving is only
personal benefit. I read in our call to worship
today, 1 Timothy 6, and it shared straight from
the mouth of Paul, but really from the heart
of God, that our motivation should be first to
set our hope on God, not riches and not things.
Second, that same passage says that in doing
so, in being generous, in letting go of things
of this earth, we actually lay hold of that which
is life, meaning that life is more than having.
Life is about giving. So this principle is further
expounded upon by Solomon in the next verse of
Ecclesiastes chapter 11. Verse 2 encourages what
investors think is the diversifying principle.
But it's actually closer to a few more passages.
I want to show you a connection here. Proverbs
30, 15 says this. The leech has two daughters,
give and give. There are three things it will
not be satisfied for that will not say enough.
And then it goes on to list. Proverbs 30, verse
18 says, Proverbs 30, verse 21 says, Proverbs
30, verse 29 says, See, this way of writing,
you know, three, then four, seven, then eight
in this case. It's a Hebrew poetry device. Here's
what it's designed to do. To help the listener
think more broadly, not to just limit yourself.
You know, it's like when you're making a list,
you're like, okay, I know that one, I know that
one. Oh yeah, and I forgot there's that one too.
It's the same thing as a poetry device. Each
one of those examples on the screen go on to
provide lists and emphasizing the increasing
nature of such things. They're not meant to be
exhaustive. They're meant to point you to think
more broadly, to not just say there's one thing,
there's not two things, there's three, oh wait,
there's four, to help you think beyond a limited
number. So Solomon here in chapter 11, verse
two, is saying that when it comes to generosity,
don't limit yourself. Your generosity should
be so broad, so indefinite. that you don't limit
yourself to an exact number. So when you're generous
to others, you consider what you can do within
your means, but can you help seven people, he
says. He says, great, but don't stop at seven,
because if you see another person be willing
to go to eight, that's the encouragement. Your
giving, your generosity, it shouldn't have artificial
self -made limits. At the end of verse two then,
and going into the next verse in verse three,
Solomon gives the rationale. for this kind of
extreme generosity. He says, you don't know what
kind of calamity may come. I'll put the text
on the screen and hopefully you're still turned
there as well. It's astounding that he gives
that as the rationale because it's the exact
same rationale the selfish person has to hoard
things for themselves. The selfish person, they
save up for themselves because they're worried
about the calamity that may come, right? They
store those treasures on earth because they focus
here and now like something bad is going to happen.
Solomon says, be radically generous because bad
things are going to happen. It is so opposite
of the world. He says, be radically generous
because you know the storm is coming. Here's
the reality. Even if you try to avoid earthly
calamity, you can't. You can't. Solomon knows
disaster is coming for Israel. That's actually
in the history. But he also knows the principle
of eternal judgment. Verse 3 talks of a storm
coming, that nothing can prevent that tree from
falling. And that it falls, it's kind of just
a given. What matters is kind of where it ends
up. Now, throughout God's word, storms, they
often indicate hard times, but they also often
indicate judgment. Just think of the flood in
Noah's day. It was a massive worldwide storm
to do what? To judge the earth for the wickedness
of mankind. Now, a storm that's powerful enough
to topple trees is no small thing. Yet think,
friends, think about this. Think of the wealthy
in our age who think they are impervious to any
kind of natural disaster. The hubris, the pride
of mankind, it knows no bounds. We trust so much
in our ability. to evade hardship that we think
we can outsmart calamity. True? I dare you to
try to prove that wrong. It's written everywhere.
Now, that doesn't mean that calamity is awesome,
great, and that we should want it. But it points
out our pride in thinking that we can avoid it.
So humans, what do we struggle with? We struggle
with storing up treasures for ourselves here
and now. We want to accumulate, save for our
future. And then we often become very self -focused
in that endeavor. And Solomon continues to challenge
then towards generosity and really a commitment
to generosity here and now, not later. So go
ahead and look at verses four to six. Verse four
to six, I want to read them again. He says, he
who watches the wind will not sow and he who
looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you
do not know the path of the wind or how bones
are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman,
so you do not know the work of God who works
all things. Sow your seed in the morning. Do
not put your hands down in the evening, for you
do not know whether morning or evening sowing
will succeed or whether both of them alike will
be good. First, in verse 4, he points out there's
no advantage in waiting to be generous for the
future. That's what he's pointing out. If you
keep watching for the wind, you'll never sow.
you won't plant. You'll miss the opportunity
to do good and judgment will come before you
know it. That storm is coming. Those who delay
their generosity until they're ready, they're
never gonna understand the real meaning and significance
of life. They'll be too focused on material things.
They're going to miss the reality of spiritual
and eternal things, what we were meant for. Solomon
is telling us this. Stop being cloud watchers.
Stop being future predictors. Be generous today
while you have an opportunity to do good and
before it's too late. He doubles down on that
challenge to commit to generosity by underscoring
the reality of the unknowableness of God's plans.
We can't predict the future. Even our best technology
only guesses, only guesses at the potential path
or impact. of a hurricane. Some of you remember
Hurricane Milton in 2024. Forecasters said it
was going to be apocalyptic, that it would be
history altering for the region of Tampa Bay.
And while it was in the Gulf, wherever you decide
the Gulf is, it sustained winds of 180 miles
per hour. That's no small thing. Now, meteorologists,
they warned of a 15 -foot -tall storm surge.
of water, basically a wall of water that would
end up making the region unrecognizable. Now,
Hurricane Milne, it did make landfall, and there
was damage to certain areas, but it was nothing
like what they feared. In fact, the storm had
shifted directions south of Tampa, and because
of the counterclockwise nature of the storm,
they actually had a reverse surge. And so instead
of a 15 -foot -tall wall of water, residents
woke up to a bay drained dry down to the mud.
Tragically, yes, some people still lost their
lives through direct damage of the storm, falling
trees and debris. Actually, there were tornadoes
that popped up further away because of the change
that happened at a higher level with the altitude
and the winds. The initial estimates, though,
of casualties for that storm event were orders
of magnitude larger than what actually happened.
Verse 5 here in the text reminds us that we don't
know the path of the wind. We don't know how
bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman.
And so we don't know the work of God who works
all things. Therefore, our approach to generosity,
to caring for others, should be with an emphasis
on today, not waiting for a more optimal time.
Finally, in verse 6, Solomon makes his most clear
appeal to timely generosity. He draws us back
to that sowing and reaping principle again in
verse 4. And that cautioned against waiting for
an optimal time to give. It cautioned against
watching the wind and seeing when to go. Instead,
he says, reader, listener, sow from morning until
evening. All the time. The rationale is you don't
know which time is going to be more successful.
morning or evening. You don't know where God
is going to use your generosity for the best
results. So take every opportunity to do good
morning until night. Now, if you understand all
of that, you have a handle on Ecclesiastes 11,
one through six. Now you can understand the casting
your bread and all of that, hopefully. Now to
the casual reader, it is one of the more difficult
passages to decipher because those phrasings
aren't common to us today. Those are ancient
Near East sayings. But I know that some, especially
if you've ever read any commentaries on this,
are going to lean towards an investment principle
when you read. But I want to explain why it isn't
the primary application and why it would actually
be a bad interpretation here. First, some of
you may see the diversification principle in
verses 1 through 2 and divide your portion among
many. But I would ask, how do you tie that in
with verse 5, that you don't know what's going
to happen? Now, sure, preventing against calamity
could make some sense with a diverse portfolio
of stocks, right? One thing fails and another
may succeed. But when you look at verse 5, do
you really think that Solomon is reminding us
that we don't know the work of God only to tell
us he might bless you financially with one stock
over another? Is that what he's spending his
time talking about? You don't know. Tesla's rising.
See, my problem is it reeks so much of eisegesis
or reading our own life into the text. A second,
I think that Targum explanation that dates back
to the, really the Babylonian exile period is
a helpful context for this passage. I want you
to look at it again. It says, give your nourishing
bread to the poor who go in ships upon the surface
of the water for after a period of many days,
you'll find this reward in the world to come.
The emphasis is to serve who? The poor. Now,
the Targum is very specific. It doesn't even
say just don't give your scraps or your leftovers.
It says don't give your scraps. Give your nourishing
bread. Give your best. Give that which helps
you. Give your valuable, consumable resource
to desperate travelers. And further, these travelers,
they're sailing away. So the reward isn't even
for here and now. The reward is for the world
to come. And it's a fascinating dynamic. But
even if you reject that Targum, even if you reject
the Aramaic explanation, you're like, no, I got
to cling to the Hebrew text. Amen. Now think
about the practicality of bread sitting on water.
What happens to bread that sits on water after
many days? Is it there? Have you ever fed ducks
in water? I mean, does the bread last? Even if
the ducks don't eat, I mean, ducks eat the bread,
right? But no, it becomes soggy within minutes.
Within days, it's going to be completely disintegrated.
It will not be there. So let me ask, how in the
world would you find it after many days? Think
who said this? He's the wisest, most observant
man the world has ever seen. So is he pulling
your leg? Now see, here's the thing. Even ancient
people, thought about what happens after you
die. That's why there was that old Arabic proverb,
and I quoted it earlier. It said, do good, throw
your bread on the waters, and one day you'll
be rewarded. And you see that contrasted with
Ecclesiastes 11 .1. See, the purpose is not to
go and find disintegrated bread after many days.
It's to find a future reward. Now, I would say
this regarding that investment principle. Any
reasonable financial advisor should not try to
apply this to financial investment strategies.
You want a financial advisor to tell you about
consistent yields and long -term patterns. That's
what you want. You don't want them saying, yeah,
maybe, maybe someday you'll get a reward. So
Christian teachers, when they try to tie it in,
I think they're missing the nature of necessary
risk when you live for Jesus. Last week I spoke
of the Christian life being intrinsically risky.
And yes, that even involves generosity because
you don't determine the outcome of it. When you're
generous to others, you can't force an outcome.
Here's the reality. Sometimes people receive
generosity and they multiply the outcome for
good. And sometimes people receive generosity
and they don't steward it well. Your generosity,
though, doesn't change based on the outcome.
You may choose to be generous elsewhere if somebody
is not being faithful or wise with your generosity,
but your heart of generosity should not change.
It's a spiritual dynamic. But in the financial
world, friends, it would be crazy for an advisor
to tell you, hey, so this stock I want you to
invest in, it has never performed. It has always
lost money. But after you die, it might be worth
something. It also might not. Who knows? So I
can't lean in to an investment application here.
Even though many commentators, many supposed
Ecclesiastes experts think that it might be.
I'm just going to add that many of those who
think that this passage is good financial advice,
they reject Solomonic authorship. I mean, that
should be your first indication, like, wait,
okay, you don't think it was Solomon, then how
do we know if he's good with money? They also
don't see any hope in the key phrase, vanity
of vanities. They think it's the most depressing
book in the whole entire Bible and would rather
avoid it. But while this passage clearly isn't
about financial advice, I understand why people
sometimes see it, but let me encourage with a
hermeneutical principle. I used that phrase earlier.
Here's what I mean. When we study God's word,
our first goal is to understand authorial intent
than to interpret the passage for what it meant
at the time that it was written. Now, side note,
it becomes a little more difficult if you don't
know who the author is, but we cover that in
the introductory sermon to this series. You can
go check that out. Now, in aiming for the interpretation
or the meaning of a passage, we are working to
understand timeless truth. What would God teach
any generation learning from his word? Now, in
this passage, The clear meaning is toward radical,
risky, and yet wise generosity. Generosity here
and now, generosity without limit, generosity
without expectation, and generosity with eternal
life in mind. That's primary. So our first applications
should come from that singular intended meaning.
Be generous. Don't put your limits on giving.
Be generous as a pattern of life. Value the right
things the right way. And the list could go on.
The question is, can we make secondary applications?
Yes, we could. We can. Maybe that's where investment
diversification or financial advice could come
into view. Is diversifying wealth a wise thing
to do? I mean, yeah, it probably is if you're
able. But does this passage teach about that?
No, it really doesn't. There are other passages
that would give that indication. I'm not even
going to give the examples because it's not the
point of the sermon, but there are other passages
that speak about wealth and investments and diversifying
to test yields, but not this one. So the issue
that I have with that financial interpretation
is it's not whether diversification is helpful.
It can be. It probably is. My issue is that to
change the meaning of the text and to focus on
finances would rob you, the reader, of an opportunity
to worship God in light of the intended meaning.
And see, that's why it's so important for shepherds,
for pastors and preachers to labor in their study
of God's word, to understand it rightly, and
then to rightly apply the word of truth. And
that's something that I want to thank Jeff for,
that week after week. He comes in to do faithful
study, bringing us a variety of potential meanings
that scholars wrestle with, and then sharing
his conviction over which one seems most reasonable,
truthful, and honorable to the text in light
of his study. My final thought on why generosity
is the focus here is regarding consistency with
Solomon. Throughout this letter, he challenges
the reader to think beyond today. to think beyond
this life. And he keeps telling the reader, your
life is more than what you see here and now.
It's not a hopeless letter. It's only hopeless
if you find your best life here and now. He keeps
driving the reader to think about God, to think
about life in terms of eternality, not temporal
things. So it doesn't fit that here he would
be advocating for either A, financial wisdom
to get a better return on investment here and
now, or B, even charity for a return blessing
for you here and now. Instead, he seems to be
teaching the reader that life should be lived
in view of what's to come. If you know the storm
is coming, if you know that judgment is coming,
then live in light of where you plan to be when
all is said and done. Where is your tree gonna
fall? It will fall. Is it gonna fall in God's
everlasting kingdom with Christ? Or is it gonna
fall on the other side? So as you look at Ecclesiastes
11, one through six, my prayer is that you see
the beauty of God's calling for your generosity.
More than focusing on wealth, accumulation, or
financial blessing, God calls us to something
better. And that's why Paul's instruction to
Timothy in 1 Timothy 6 for the wealthy of this
age to give generously, set our hope in God,
is so applicable here. We read it earlier today,
but let's read it again. It says, Command them
to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous
and ready to share, storing up for themselves
the treasure of a good foundation for the future,
so that they may take hold of that which is life
indeed. Now God teaches us through Paul some
1 ,000 years after Solomon. He says that riches
are uncertain. And so let me ask, if God doesn't
change, Were riches certain in Solomon days?
No. It's been consistent throughout human history
because it's a fallen, unpredictable, broken
world. Riches aren't certain, but there is one
who is certain. And that's the key, that if we
grasp who God is, what he has done in and through
Christ, then we get to respond with worship and
take hold of that which is actually life. And
you guys know we teach this all the time. Worship
is more than singing. It's not not singing. It
is singing, but it's more than just singing.
It's a whole person orientation of life. You
give yourself over to the one that you worship.
The caution is always make sure that's not yourself.
Make sure that's not this life that you worship
in light of convictions from God's word. And
so worship is always action. There's action involved.
This generosity then that Solomon speaks of,
that Paul speaks of, it's rooted in worship or
response to the one who holds eternity in his
hands. The one who judges the living and the
dead. The one who has the keys to eternal life.
So my prayer is that you see generosity not as
something you're just responsible to do, like,
oh, I guess I gotta do this. No, that you would
see it as a blessing that you get to do it and
you only get to do it here. You don't get to
do it later. It's for now. So it's a privilege.
It's something you get to do because you know
who holds your life. Because you know where you're
going. You know where you're going to fall. So
my prayer is that you wouldn't see generosity
just as an opportunity to look good in God's
eyes or to get something good in return here
and now. That's works righteousness. But that
you would see generosity as an opportunity to
bring blessing to others. To encourage them to
believe. to share of your trust in Christ, to
point them to the one who owns a cattle on a
thousand hills, to help them not find their hope
in things here and now, but to help them set
their gaze on eternity, things that actually
matter. So in principle, Solomon is teaching
us to give. And yes, that could include tithes
and offerings. It's not a sermon, though, on
getting you to just give more money. And yes,
it could involve giving to the baby bottle boomerang
or other things. But it's more about your heart
of generosity than it is on what you have and
what you're just trying to give financially.
So it includes finances, but it's not limited
to finances. It's your time. It's your effort.
It's your schedule. It's your plans. It's all
of you. So give without knowing what's going
to come back to you. Give without setting limitations
on how much. Give what's valuable to you. Give
to bless. Give because you can't take things
of this earth with you in the life to come. Give
with thoughts, though, of that life to come.
And I'm thankful that I've seen a heart of generosity
among our members here at Oak Hill for many years.
My own family, we've been those who have received
generous support in times of need. I remember
early on, there were some members who are still
with us today here who blessed our family in
times of need with groceries, with gift cards
for groceries, with diapers, when we didn't know
what we were gonna do and they richly supplied
and we didn't even ask them. Just their heart
of generosity came forward. We see the generosity
in this church when the support for missions
goes beyond what we ask. And over the years,
We bless churches and servants of the Lord around
the world. Myanmar, Romania, Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar,
Zimbabwe, and there's more. Incredible. I've
seen our church be generous in meeting practical
needs. Simple things like rides to the airport.
Man, we do a lot of traveling here. I'm just
going to throw that out. A lot of traveling.
We also do a lot of moving here in this church
too. Meals, you know, when people are sick, when
babies come, when there are, you know, surgeries
and the like. Now, as you hear these encouragements,
you know, even if you're somebody who has modeled
serving in a generous way, my encouragement is
excel still more. Excel still more. Keep showing
that your treasures are not of this world. Keep
showing that. Keep showing that you're building
the kingdom that is to come. Cast your bread
upon the waters because you're not expecting
an immediate return. You're focusing on trusting
the Lord with the ultimate outcomes. Now, being
generous is difficult for you. Begin to pray
that God's going to help you see this as a matter
of worship, as a matter of gratitude. Because
if you're saved, you have every spiritual blessing
in Christ. Your generosity then is the outflow
of Christ's generosity to you. You've received
much, so give much. If you're not saved here
today, and all of this sounds wild, just crazy,
Come talk to myself, come talk to another elder
after church and hear why we would promote such
wild, risky, and radical generosity. At the end
of the day, here's the reality. We must all come
before the Lord, every single one of us, and
we must all and we will all recognize that only
he can save unto eternity. No good that we've
done, no works that we've done, no amount of
generosity can save us. But the only way that
we are going to have and lay hold of eternal
life is by letting go. Letting go of the temporary
entanglements we have here on earth. And loosening
our hold of this life, we're able to grasp the
eternal life of Christ. That's the reality. I'm
going to put some questions on the screen for
you to consider. In a moment, I'll pray as we
transition. As you look at these questions, I
do this every single time, but please consider
them seriously. Consider them for your own heart.
Consider them for yourself. Don't just say, oh,
it's another question. Think about it. Not for
my sake, but for yours. That you would consider
generosity in light of God's word and who Christ
is. In a moment, I'll pray for us as we wrap
up. Father, I'm sure that when Some of us may
have seen the call to worship today. We might
have thought this is just another giving sermon.
This is just another push to give more finances,
get more money, a push for a tie -in with the
baby bottle boomerang. Father, I pray by the
end, everyone here has seen that the push towards
generosity is because of you, because of your
character, who you are and what you've done in
Christ. My prayer for each and every one of us
here today is that we would understand That a
heart of generosity is only rooted in Christ.
We are selfish. We hold on to things. We hoard
things for ourselves. We don't share. Yet you
richly share. Every one of us born into sin and
yet by your grace some are saved. Some are drawn
near to you. Some are given of your everlasting
eternal blessings. Rescued, redeemed, given new
hope and new life. drawn from the pit of despair
and given new hope. That's the reality for those
who are in Christ and not by works that we've
done. So therefore our generosity in response,
it is not to earn your favor. We can't do that.
Our generosity then is simply a response of worship.
It's a response of gratitude. Seeing what you
have done in Christ and saying, everything I
have is yours. Every bit of wealth, every bit
of time, every bit of energy, it's all yours.
If we're called to be living sacrifices, that's
all of us. The whole person, not just part of
us. So I ask, help us to think well and wisely
about being generous. Giving of ourselves, yes,
our finances, but of course the rest of us, our
time, our effort, our thoughts, yes, even our
prayers. that we give our lives over for others,
for the good of others, because that is what
you have done. So help us to pursue radical and
risky but wise generosity. God, we thank you
for the character of generosity you display perfectly
in Christ. We ask that you would help us understand
and comprehend that kind of selfless generosity,
that we would model his life. that we would follow
his example, giving of himself. So conform our
hearts to yours. May we set our hope on you.
May we take hold of that which is truly life
by letting go of this temporary one and the things
that are so sparkly at one moment and so dim
the next. We ask it now as we transition to praise
and song that you would lift our hearts and voices.
that we would exalt the name of Christ, that
we would find our hope, our joy in the slain
lamb who died for our sins and yet now lives,
who rescues sinners from the destruction, the
calamity that is sure to come, and who gives
new and living hope to all who trust in him.
We praise your name, Jesus, and we pray in your
name. Amen.