DATE: 1-18-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in the book of James this weekend. As we learned two weeks ago — James — our author — is the younger brother of Jesus — and he was also a key leader in the early church. And James — the book — is essentially a collection of mini-sermons — or teachings — on a variety of topics. The book is considered by many to be the wisdom literature of the New Testament — sort of like the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament — as it contains many short statements that show us how life generally works.

Last week’s topic was on the purpose of the trials we experience in life. Those unexpected — and often — unwanted moments — those experiences in life that are trying and hard and exhausting do have a purpose. Again — that’s what we saw last week. And — today — we’re on to a new — but somewhat related — topic. Here’s what James has for us today. We’re in James chapter one — beginning in verse five. There we read…

James 1:5–8 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Christian or not — here’s a topic that’s relevant and practical for all of us. For — inevitably — we come to moments in life when we don’t know what to do — where we lack wisdom — and James is going to tell us what to do in these moments. And — spoiler alert — his advice isn’t to turn to Google or to ChatGPT. No — James is going to tell us to turn somewhere else — or — I should say — to Someone else — when we find ourselves in need of wisdom.

But before we get to our destination — here’s how we’re going to get there. We’re going to first answer the question, “What is wisdom?” Then we’ll look at the generosity of God which — believe it or not — has everything to do with where wisdom is found. And — finally — we’ll look at how we receive — or find — wisdom.

What is wisdom? The generosity of God. And how we receive wisdom. That’s where we’re headed today.

WHAT IS WISDOM?

We’ll begin with our question, “What is wisdom?” As James says in verse five…

James 1:5 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom…

If wisdom is what we lack — we need to make sure we’re in agreement with what we mean by wisdom. I say this because there are two very different meanings of the word wisdom that are used by people today. 

The first definition is something like this: Wisdom is applying knowledge to a situation. 

Now — that doesn’t sound all that bad. And — it’s not — except for one significant aspect. Often — with this definition of wisdom — morality and theology are not taken into consideration. And that’s because this view of wisdom is human-centric — meaning — it puts the power and responsibility of determining what is wise in the hands of us humans.

The second definition of wisdom is nearly identical to the first — but with a significant change. If definition one is “applying knowledge to a situation” our second definition of wisdom is “applying biblical and theological knowledge to a situation.” 

This second definition emphasizes that wisdom — foundationally — is biblical and theological. And — theology — if you’re unfamiliar with the word — has to do with God. Thus, wisdom is understanding our — humanity’s — proper place in relationship to God as found in the Bible. Which means — to live wisely means we must live according to what the Bible tells us about God, ourselves, and our relationship with him.

Here’s another way to show the difference in these two definitions of wisdom. Wisdom — under definition number one — asks, “What works?” Wisdom — under definition number two — asks, “What honors God and reflects his character?” 

And we live in a “what works” world created by a God who is more concerned with “what honors him.”

For example,listen to what the Bible has to say about wisdom and notice its relationship to God.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

And…

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

And…

Psalm 111:10 ESV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.

And…

Job 28:28 ESV

28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Fear — in these verses — means to revere — to hold in admiration — to have a profound respect for someone or something. And in these verses we learn that wisdom’s birthplace is in having fear of — or a profound respect for — the Lord. 

Now fear is a word we quickly associate with something scary. So let me try and help us all out. To fear the Lord means that — in knowing who God is — for example — in knowing that God is holy — that he’s pure and without sin — and that he’s righteous — meaning God always does what’s right — and that he’s just — meaning God doesn’t play favorites or take bribes — and that he’s loving and kind and good and merciful and wrathful — that last one means that God hates wickedness, sin, and will punish those who do such things — in knowing who God is — on his terms and in his own words — we then fear him — are in awe of him — have great respect for him — and live accordingly. 

So there’s a theological aspect of wisdom — it’s God-focused. Yet there’s also a moral aspect of wisdom. We saw this in the verse from Job which mentioned “turning away from evil.” Turning away from evil is a statement of morality. It supposes that there’s a definition of good and evil and that — to be wise — means you turn away from evil and turn to God who is good.

Having said all of that — even in the church — the wisdom of “what works” continues to dominate — at least in the church in the US — I won’t speak of churches around the world. Here in the US — we’re such pragmatic people — that the wisdom of “what works” — and the success it often brings — in relationships, in business, in politics, even in the church — the wisdom of “what works” excites us. 

But the wisdom of “what works” will not produce righteousness — which is the goal of biblical wisdom. And — righteousness — as you may know — when it comes to us humans means to be right with God. And there are many people who call themselves Christians today — and many organizations that call themselves churches — who are very successful — they’ve figured out “what works” — and yet — they are not right with God. 

Many people have discovered “what works” — again — in relationships, in business, in politics, even in the church — and they think this makes them right with God. But our works — what we do — have never made us right with God — even works that bring about great success. And those who are biblically wise understand this. For it’s not our works — that makes us righteous — but the work of the One who’s called the Wisdom of God. We’ll get to him in a moment.

So wisdom — according to God — means more than just “what works” — for many sinful decisions may bring about success. Dictators — who have their opponents killed — win elections — a shocking example, I know — but when wisdom is solely about “what works” — people will go to extremes. 

But “what works” and what honors and pleases God are not always the same thing. And we who claim to follow Jesus need to be very careful of which definition of wisdom we allow to influence the decisions we make. We who follow Jesus need to be careful about which definition of wisdom we expect and tolerate those in leadership to use. Because God will not bless the wisdom of “what works” when it does not bring him honor and glory. And — many people — after doing nothing other than “what works” — then try to spin their decision as if honoring God was always their goal. But God is no fool.

Interestingly, provocatively, and — what’s quite possibly one of the most shocking statements in his entire letter — James will later say this about wisdom. In chapter three he writes…

James 3:13–18 NLT

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

We’ll get to these verses in a later sermon, but — for now — I want you to notice what James says about wisdom in verses fifteen and sixteen. I’ll read them to you again.

James 3:15–16 NLT

15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

What’s often called wisdom — the pragmatic kind that “gets the job done” and is “what works” — is often wisdom clothed in jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder, and evil of every kind. And James says that this kind of wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, and — wait for it — demonic. And — friends — this is why we need to be so very careful about giving into the spirit of our age in which getting things done — and “what works” — matters more than whether or not something is demonic.

THE GENEROSITY OF GOD

A moment ago I said, “God is no fool” — but he is generous. Which leads us to some extremely great news about wisdom found in our verses. We’re in verse five again.

James 1:5 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James — being a good Jewish man — may’ve been thinking of a verse like this one from the book of Proverbs when he wrote these words. In Proverbs we read…

Proverbs 2:6 ESV

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

God has, is, and will always be the source of true wisdom. And though it may seem overwhelming — especially when thinking that something may work and bring about success and still be grounded in something like the demonic — though it may seem impossible to know where to begin — “How do I even know what’s biblical wisdom or just something that works” — James points us directly to step one — which will never lead you astray. For James essentially says, “Do you lack wisdom? Here’s step one: Ask God.” 

Ask God.

Yet how many of us make decisions — and not just small or insignificant ones — but even really huge decisions — without ever asking God, “Hey God, I’m about to make a decision about — marriage or a promotion or switching careers or having a hard conversation with a friend — and I need some help here. What’s the wise thing to do?” And — my goal — is to encourage all of us — myself included — to do more asking. Let’s ask God more and more for wisdom.

“OK. But how will I know what he’s telling me?” Great question! Did you know that there are many ways that God responds to us when we ask him for wisdom?

In his cleverly titled book, God Told Me: Who to Marry, Where to Work, Which Car to Buy…And I’m Pretty Sure I’m Not Crazy, author Jim Samra lists twelve different ways that God speaks to us. His list includes the Bible, the preached Word, individual prayer and fasting, corporate prayer and fasting, the inner prompting of the Spirit, spiritual direction from others, to name a few.

We’ll look at just two ways that God answers us when we ask him for wisdom: 1) God’s Word — the Bible — and 2) Prayer. His Word and prayer.

By far — prayer is perceived as the less demanding of these two. You can pray whenever and wherever — but reading the Bible — well that’s a lot more work. But here’s something I’ve found to be a principle of following Jesus: The better we know his Word — the Bible — the better we’ll know his answers to us in prayer. Meaning — God’s answers to us in the Bible are clear. Yes, this is a big book with lots of words — but — instead of viewing that as an insurmountable obstacle — I wonder what would happen if we viewed the bigness of this book — and the vast amount of words in it — as God’s gracious way of making sure we know how to be wise. And — again — the principle I’ve found is that the better I know what he’s said in the Bible — the better I know what he’s saying to me in prayer.

A recent survey by the Barna Group found a hopeful trend regarding Bible reading in our country. Forty-two percent of adults in the US say they read their Bible weekly — up from thirty percent in 2024. That’s forty-two percent of all US adults — Christian or not. Can you believe that? Nearly half of all adults in our country say they read the Bible weekly. That’s pretty encouraging to me!

So what about those of us who claim to follow Jesus? If forty-two percent is the national average — surely we Christians are tipping the scales, right? Not so fast. In that same survey, just fifty percent of self-identified Christians report reading their Bible weekly. 

Though I’m thankful that both numbers have seen an increase — I see such an opportunity for Christians to engage more and more with God’s Word — so that — we’ll be people who grow in wisdom and influence our nation for the better. 

Here at Gateway we describe this as our desire for us to be Word and Spirit Christians. Where — as followers of Jesus — we live under the authority of the Word of God and by the power of the Spirit of God. And — to do this — we must be people who know this book.

That same Barna survey revealed another piece of data about Bible reading. This data focused on what’s going on generationally in our country in regards to Bible reading. Though Bible reading has grown among Boomers, Gen-Xers, Millennials, and Gen Z — one of these groups is lagging behind the others in their weekly Bible reading. Any guesses as to which generation in our country is falling behind the others? 

Who thinks it’s Gen Z — the youngest generation surveyed? They’re just on video games and social media, right? I bet they’re not reading their Bible.

What about the Millennials — who thinks it’s them? They’re all depressed because we’ve moved on from talking about their generation and now it’s all about Gen Z, right? I bet it’s them — they’re probably the ones not reading their Bibles.

Who thinks it’s the Gen Xers? Nobody does — because everyone forgets about my generation.

Well — it’s not Gen Z. It’s not the Millennials. And it’s not Gen X. The generation falling behind the others — when it comes to Bible reading in our country — are the Boomers. 

Forty-nine percent of Gen-Z, fifty percent of Millennials, and forty-one percent of Gen-Xers read the Bible weekly — but only thirty-one percent of Boomers do. So — to the Boomers among us — first, I love you. And I see this data as an opportunity for you to lead your generation. You have an opportunity to be an example to your peers when it comes to the practice of reading God’s Word and living by his wisdom.

God answers us in his Word and in prayer. 

But I want to take this a step further — because we need to push back against our individualistic view of the Christian faith. How many of us make decisions without ever asking a fellow Christian, “What do you think God would say is the wise thing to do here?” I bring this up — because often — for those of us who do read our Bible and pray about our decisions — God’s leading often ends up being the choice we wanted to make anyway.

You know. I know it. And God knows it. 

Whether it’s a relationship decision, a business decision, a church decision, and so on. And we know if we clothe our decision with “God’s leading me” or some other spiritual sounding statement — we know that no one can question our decision. Even if it’s just a “what works” decision or a decision that’s nothing more than selfish ambition on our part. 

I mean who does God think he is that he can use someone else to tell me what to do? Or have someone point out a verse in Scripture that should cause me to pause in the decision I’m about to make. Or have the preacher say something that — even though he has no idea of what choice I’m thinking about making — well that preacher said something in his sermon that’s clearly a direct warning to me to stop in my tracks.

Will we be people who desire biblical wisdom — wisdom whose primary purpose is to make our God look glorious in all of our decisions — and not just be people who make decisions that work? If so, then we must ask God for wisdom — knowing that he’s generous and has given us the Bible, prayer, sermons, our fellow Christians, and much more to give us his wisdom.

RECEIVING GOD’S WISDOM

Which leads to our final thought for today — receiving God’s wisdom. We’re in verse six. There James writes…

James 1:6–8 ESV

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The way we receive God’s wisdom is by asking him in faith — with no doubting. James then goes on to describe what he means by using the illustration of waves of the seas being tossed around by the wind — an illustration we looked at last week. But — now — James goes on to call the person who doubts a double-minded individual who’s unstable. And this tells us something very important about what James means when he says we must ask in faith without doubting: He’s describing our posture towards God. 

And — when we remember our two definitions of wisdom — one based on “what works” — the other based on “what honors God” — this shows us that James is definitely meaning the second definition of wisdom.

The apostle Paul says something similar to the Christians in Ephesus in a passage we looked at last week as well. Though he doesn’t specifically use the word wisdom — notice the similar illustration he uses to describe why we — together as a church — need to mature in faith. He writes…

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Here Paul warns about doctrinal instability causing us — as a church — to be tossed around by the deceitfulness of false teachers and their lies that lead us away from faith in Christ. James is warning about the personal instability that comes from this kind of doctrinal instability. 

And this all becomes clear when we understand that the word ‘doubt’ — in verse six — doesn’t mean a moment of uncertainty — but rather having a divided mind or being double-minded. The word means to have a discrimination against God — where our default setting is to take God out of the picture when it comes to our decision making and what we think is the wise thing to do. Whereas faith — and this will not surprise you — means to have a commitment to God — a wholehearted commitment, in fact. Where you keep God — not just in the picture — but in the center of your life — where your desire is for your decisions to honor him.

Or — to say it another way — it means to…

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on — or trust only in — your own understanding — even if it’s “what works.” Thus — to receive God’s wisdom — requires a humble and teachable spirit. Humble — because — we recognize our limitations in what we know and understand. Teachable — because — even what we do know and understand will need some correction. And then you can add to that — how all of us have a lot of unlearning we need to do as well — especially when it comes to believing that the wisdom of “what works” is what matters most.

But — ultimately — the key to receiving God’s wisdom — is to know the One who is the Wisdom of God — which is where we turn to as we end our time together.

CONCLUSION: TO KNOW WISDOM IS TO KNOW JESUS

For quite a few years — we did a series here at Gateway that was called Finding Jesus. In that series I preached one sermon on every book in the Old Testament. For the sermon on the book of Proverbs — which is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament — and a book I’ve quoted quite a bit from today — I helped us find Jesus by looking at verses from Proverbs chapter eight. Specifically these words that wisdom speaks…

Proverbs 8:35–36 ESV

35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Throughout Proverbs chapter eight — wisdom is personified as if it — wisdom — is a person. And there’s a reason for this — the wisdom of God is a person. The apostle Paul tells us so.

1 Corinthians 1:24 NLT

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Jesus is the wisdom of God. 

And wisdom — whether in Proverbs chapter eight or in James chapter one — or in all of Scripture, for that matter — wisdom is pointing us to Jesus. In fact, true wisdom will always point you to Jesus because Jesus is true wisdom. And all who find Jesus — who believe that he is who he says he is and has done what he says he’s done — all who find Jesus find life and favor from the Lord. And all who fail to find him — all who reject him instead of believing in him — whether they realize it or not — love death. For eternal death — separation from the wisdom of God for all eternity — is what’s in store for them.

You see, in obedience to his Father’s will — and in love for you — Jesus went to the cross. He did so accomplishing the wisest plan ever made — the salvation of the people of God. And — in finding Jesus — the wisdom of God tells us that we must take the step of repentance. For — as one person has said, “The most basic act of wisdom is repentance.” 

What is repentance? Repentance is turning from the direction you’re headed in and turning to the Wisdom of God — Jesus Christ. It’s the “turning away from evil” that we saw in the passage from Job. We repent — and turn away from evil — as we turn to Jesus in faith. And faith is more than just knowing that Jesus lived, or knowing that he was crucified, or knowing that he rose from the grave — faith means you act on the knowledge of his life, death, and resurrection. That you live accordingly — in response to now realizing that he — Jesus — is God in flesh. 

For — as Paul — just before telling us that Christ is the wisdom of God — writes…

1 Corinthians 1:18–24 NLT

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Jesus is the wisdom of God. And the message of what he accomplished on the cross is foolishness to the world. And — though the world may find it foolish — it’s the news all people need to hear. For it’s the news that must be received in order to be saved. It’s not a message that makes the most sense — it’s not the obvious “what works” — yet Jesus and his cross is the wisest plan ever to have been made. And — not only that — it’s the wisest plan ever to be accomplished. And — not only that — it’s the most loving act in all of history. 

So — now — having heard of God’s wise plan — let me ask you: What’s the wise thing to do in response to the news about Jesus that you’ve just heard? Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Father, we begin by being struck in awe with who you are: wise, good, kind, righteous, holy, all-knowing, all-powerful, just, wrathful, the God who saves, and the one who is in control of all things. You are awesome.

Holy Spirit, help us to fight against the lure of “what works” wisdom — and instead — commit ourselves to “what honors God” wisdom. And help us to search our hearts and desires — especially in those decisions of life where we’re prone to deceiving others and ourselves into thinking our desire is to honor God when — in reality — we’re selfishly doing nothing more than “what works.” 

Jesus — to you the Wisdom of God — as we turn ourselves to you — we turn ourselves from our sinful ways. We thank you for loving us. Thank you for your commitment to us. Thank you for showing us what it means to be wise. And may we honor you as we follow in your footsteps. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you go asking God for the wisdom you need. And may you remember that he is always generous in giving his wisdom to those who ask. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

DATE: 10-19-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend and we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul’s now in the “so what” section of his letter. Meaning he’s showing us how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. 

But — before we turn to our text for today — I want to let you know what to expect in the coming weeks. Starting next week — we’re going to take a break from Romans — just when we’re almost at the end — and we’re going to take three sermons to look at three important practices in the life of our church: church membership, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper — also called communion.

In a few weeks we’ll have a combined evening worship service here at our County Road 9 Campus. And during this evening service we’ll welcome new members into our faith family, celebrate baptisms, and take the Lord’s Supper together. So I thought it’d be good for us to spend some time looking at all that will be happening during that evening worship service ahead of time.

So next week we’ll look at church membership. The following week we’ll look at baptism. And then — during the evening worship service — we’ll look at the Lord’s Supper.

Then — after our short break — we’ll jump right back into Romans for the final two sermons we have left in the book.

But — today we’re in Romans — we’re not on break from it yet. And our final three sermons in Romans may end up being the most unique. For Paul — as he ends his letter — becomes quite personal in his final words. Let me show you what I mean.

Here’s what Paul writes in Romans chapter fifteen — beginning in verse fourteen.

Romans 15:14–33 ESV

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. 30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

As I said — this is a very personal section of the letter for Paul. And in this part of his letter we find two ideas: The call that God had on Paul’s life — and the call that God has on us — individually and as a church. Paul’s call and our call — that’s what we’re going to explore together today.

PAUL’S CALL

We’ll begin with Paul’s call — but know that there’s overlap even with the specific call God had for Paul and God’s call for us. But we’ll do our best to focus on Paul’s call — beginning in verse fifteen — where he writes…

Romans 15:15–25 ESV

15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.

And skipping to verse twenty-eight we read…

Romans 15:28–29 ESV

28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

In these words, Paul helps us understand how he viewed his call. And he describes his call — and I rarely do this — but we’re going to go for it today — he describes his call as that of a priest, of power, of preaching, and of planting. For those of you who’ve been waiting for some preaching alliteration — today is the day the Lord has made for you. Paul’s calling was one of priest, power, preaching, and planting.

Part of God’s call on Paul’s life was to be a priest. We see this beginning in verse fifteen where Paul writes…

Romans 15:15–17 ESV

15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

And in verse twenty-eight we read…

Romans 15:28–29 ESV

28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Paul was called to be a priest. Where a prophet speaks on behalf of God to the people — a priest intercedes on behalf of the people to God. We’ll get to Paul’s prophetic role in preaching the gospel — in just a moment — but I want us to focus on his call which he describes as a priestly service. 

When I think of this priestly call on his life — I can’t help but think of his prayers for the Christians he writes to. Think of some of the words he wrote to others that are an expression of this priestly call on his life.

To the Christians in Thessalonica Paul wrote…

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 ESV

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And…

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 ESV

11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the Christians in Ephesus he wrote…

Ephesians 1:16–21 ESV

16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

To the Christians in Colossae he wrote…

Colossians 1:3–5 ESV

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

To Philemon he wrote…

Philemon 4–6 ESV

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

To Timothy…

2 Timothy 1:3–7 ESV

3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I wonder how God might want you to enter into a similar kind of priestly service for others by praying for them in this way? In our most recent membership class, I was asked what’s the best way to encourage me as the pastor of Gateway. My answer was to pray for me. To pray for my family. And to let me know that you’re praying for me.

A recent addition to my list of life resolutions came from the sweet joy of realizing how many of you are praying for me. I worded my new resolution this way. Remember: God’s people are praying for you. I’m encouraged every time I read these words.

You may or may not be aware — but before every worship service a group of men pray with and for me. One of these men is Dave Vaas. I didn’t warn Dave that I’d be mentioning him — so Dave — warning — I’m about to pastorally brag on you. Knowing Dave — he’s probably already read this anyway. You’ll know what I mean in a second. 

As I said, Dave’s one of the men who meets with me to pray for me and my sermon before I preach. And — what I so appreciate about Dave’s prayers — is how he comes having read through my sermon manuscript. He — Randy Casper also does this — to pastorally brag on someone else — Dave and Randy will pray for a specific point in my sermon, or a section that stuck out to them — and they often pray that God will use that point or section to speak to you all. They’re fulfilling a priestly service for me and you. To Dave and Randy — and to all of the men who pray with and for me before I preach — thank you for fulfilling such an important priestly ministry that God has called you to.

Paul was called to be a priest.

Additionally, part of God’s call on Paul’s life was to be a vessel of God’s power. We see this beginning in verse eighteen where Paul writes…

Romans 15:18–19 ESV

18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;

Paul was called to be a vessel of God’s power. Earlier this year we spent quite a few weeks looking at the spiritual gifts that Paul mentions in chapter twelve. In those sermons we saw how the Holy Spirit empowers every follower of Jesus with a spiritual gift that’s to be used to build up and strengthen the church. And here — in our verses — Paul tells us that living by the power of the Spirit was an important part of God’s call on his life.

A call — not only on Paul’s life — but on all who follow Jesus — is a call to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Regardless if we’re preaching, evangelizing, greeting people when they enter our buildings, enjoying the giggles and screams of terror by our toddlers, or whatever you may do around here. We’re called to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and to recognize that what goes on around here isn’t natural — but is a supernatural work of God. For — when we’re served by each other — we’re being served by the Spirit of God who’s working through each of us.

Yet don’t miss that — when Paul points to what Christ accomplished through him — he says it came about by “word and deed…by the power of the Spirit of God.” This is why part of God’s call on Paul’s life was also that of being a preacher. We’re back in verse eighteen again…

Romans 15:18–20 ESV

18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,

Paul was called to be a preacher of the gospel. And when we take these two calls on Paul’s life — calls of power and of preaching — we come to one of the characteristics we desire to see in every follower of Jesus here at Gateway. We call this being Word and Spirit Christians. Where our desire is to live under the authority of the Word of God and by the power of the Spirit of God so that we make our saving God look glorious to the world.

Obviously not all of us are called to preach the Bible — but all of us are called to proclaim the Good News. Every follower of Jesus should know the basics of the gospel — the Good News of what Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — so that — you can share it with others. 

Do you see this call on your life — to share the gospel? Are you fulfilling this call that God has on your life?

Finally, part of God’s call on Paul’s life was that of planting — or starting — new churches. We’re in verse twenty…

Romans 15:20–25 ESV

20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.

Paul was called to plant new churches. Paul had a passion for taking the gospel to people living in places where the gospel had not yet been heard. So he planted — or started new churches — which would be an outpost for the gospel in their community. This was part of God’s call on Paul’s life.

Obviously, not all Christians are called to be church planters. But we’re all called to go in some way. After all — Jesus’ final words before ascending into heaven were…

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And as Luke records in the book of Acts…

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Something I love about us as a church — is our commitment to taking the gospel to places where it’s currently not believed. We just had our Go celebration this past week and it was great to see so many of you come together to hear stories of how we’ve been going this past year. 

We call this our commitment to being Kingdom-minded around here — more on that in a moment. But I want to acknowledge that I know how hard it can be to imagine that there are still places on this planet where the gospel isn’t heard or believed. We live in a bit of a Christian bubble here in the US. Obviously, not everyone in our country is a Christian — but it’s hard to live in the US and not hear about Jesus — there are churches everywhere! But that’s not the case across the globe.

According to Joshua Project — an organization that tracks people groups that lack the gospel — there are a little over 7,000 people groups who are considered unreached — which means they have no access to the gospel. This represents over three billion people who have little or no access to the gospel — which we rightly believe is the only means of salvation.

And — like Paul — God has uniquely called us — Gateway Church — to go where the gospel is currently not known. In fact — this calling on us is so great — and our commitment to fulfill this calling is so known — that we’re viewed as a very missional church in our denomination. If you don’t know — missional basically means spreaders of the gospel — locally and globally. Like me, you may be thinking, “Really? Aren’t we the Bible church? Or the kid’s ministry church? Or the church with rocking worship music?” All I know is that the further removed you are from us — the more we’re seen as the church who takes seriously the call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. And I hope that you — like me — are happy to claim this reputation.

OUR CALL

Having looked at Paul’s call, we’ll now look at our call a bit more. I know we’ve done so already — but there are few more aspects of our call found in our text. We’re back in verse fourteen.

Romans 15:14 ESV

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

Skipping to verse twenty-six we read…

Romans 15:26–27 ESV

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

And in verse thirty Paul writes…

Romans 15:30–33 ESV

30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

When it comes to our call — as a faith family — though this doesn’t encompass all that we’re called to — in these verses Paul reminds us of our call to be disciples who make disciples, our call to be generous, our call to be a family, and — again — our call to be Kingdom-minded. All — I hope — are familiar ideas for you — for these are four out of the five characteristics we hope to see in all who follow Jesus here at Gateway. The fifth being Word and Spirit Christians — which we looked at earlier.

First, we’re called to be disciples who make disciples. Paul writes this in verse fourteen…

Romans 15:14 ESV

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

Paul praises the Christians in Rome because he knows that they’re filled with goodness, with knowledge, and — thus — are able to instruct — or disciple — one another. The call to make disciples of all nations — which Jesus gave us — is a call locally as much as it is globally. And it’s a call on us corporately — as a church — as much as it is individually. For every disciple of Jesus is called to make disciples of Jesus.

How are you fulfilling this call on your life — and how are you helping us fulfill this call as a church?

• I’m so thankful for those who make disciples by serving as a Life Group leader. 
• And for those who serve in our Kidway ministry — helping us make disciples of the youngest in our church. 
• For those who make disciples among our youth. 
• Who lead equip classes. 
• Who meet one on one over coffee or a meal to help someone else grow in their faith — that’s being a disciple who makes disciples. 
• For parents who read God’s Word to their children, and teach them to pray — making disciples in your home.

If you’re not currently a disciple who’s making disciples — and you want to become one — stop by the Resource Center before you leave. They’ll take down your name and I’m sure we can find a way for you to step into this call God has on your life.

We’re also called to be generous. In verse twenty-six Paul writes…

Romans 15:26–27 ESV

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

How lucky are you, right? Everyone loves when the preacher talks about money — not! When it comes to our desire — for us to be a generous people — generosity must include our finances. The old “time, talent, and treasure” mantra unintentionally shifted to the idea that we have a choice — “I’ll be generous with my time, or my talent, or my treasure” — when the Bible calls us to be generous with all of it.

And here — in our verses — the Christians living in one area of the world were pleased to be financially generous with Christians living in Jerusalem. Twice Paul tells us that it pleased the Christians to be financially generous. And he tells us that it pleased them because their financial generosity was birthed out of the spiritual blessings they’d been recipients of.

I wonder how the spiritual blessings you’ve received have made you into a more financially generous person? For it’s not just in these verses — but throughout the Bible — that you’ll see a connection between recognizing and appreciating the spiritual blessings you’ve been given and how financially generous you are.

We’re also called to be a family. We’re in verse thirty…

Romans 15:30–33 ESV

30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

These verses also show us our call to be Kingdom-minded. We see our call to be family in Paul’s description of this striving together — implying a unity among these Christians in their prayers for Paul. A family like unity birthed from Jesus being our Lord and the Holy Spirit filling us with love for one another.

And we’re called to be Kingdom-minded. We saw this earlier, but here Paul mentions Judea and Jerusalem — two of the areas Jesus mentioned in our call to be his witnesses.

CONCLUSION

Paul’s call and our call. God’s call on us as a church and his call on you as one of his followers. May we — like Paul — fulfill the calling to which we’ve been called — so that — we strive together in unity, and pray for one another, and find refreshment and joy by one another’s company — because — Jesus is our Lord and Savior — and because we’ve been filled with love for one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your call upon us — both as a church and as individuals. For those you call as individuals you call into your church. May we never try to separate your call upon our lives — individually — with your call upon your church.

Holy Spirit, you’re the One who awakens deaf ears, blind eyes, and dead hearts to the Good News of the gospel. You give new life and we believe. This is the very first call in any of our lives. May you make this call — right now — to many who hear my voice and yet don’t believe in Jesus. Call them. Awaken them. Give them life so that they believe.

And — Jesus — for those who respond — you call to a life of purpose. That of being a disciple who’s a Word and Spirit Christian. Who’s generous. Who makes disciples. Who’s Kingdom-minded. And who fulfills his or her call as part of your faith family. What a gift it is to be called by you. What a purpose. What a thrill.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — may you use each of us to fulfill your calling upon us as a church. And may the result be unity, and refreshment, and joy among us. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you respond to God’s call upon your life as we will fulfill his call for us as a church. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

DATE: 6-22-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series looking at some of King David’s psalms that address the topic of suffering. There are many aspects to suffering — many reasons for our suffering that David touches on in his psalms — and each of these are important for us to consider because — whether or not you’re currently in a season of suffering — suffering has a way of showing up — often unexpectedly — which we’d be wise to prepare for. Yet — for the follower of Jesus — suffering is an opportunity. For suffering’s an opportunity to spiritually grow for those of us who follow a Savior who experienced suffering.

Now — for sure — suffering is not an easy opportunity to grow — often suffering comes when life is most challenging. But — in another sense — suffering is one of the easiest opportunities to spiritually grow — because — when life’s most challenging we’re forced to change in some way.

And I say this knowing that not all of us believe in Jesus — but all of us have experienced suffering or know others who’ve experienced it. And — if you’re honest — it’s scary. Because there’s no good answer offered by our world, society, or culture as to why we suffer — and even more importantly — how to suffer well. There’s just a huge hopelessness — thus many turn to coping mechanisms to numb themselves — drugs, alcohol, binge watching Netflix — or give up on life altogether in a seemingly never-ending depression.

But is that all there is — is that the best offer on the table in a world full of suffering? It’s not — thank God it’s not.

So let’s continue to see how our Christian faith offers a different opportunity in these hard moments of life: an opportunity to become more like our Savior — Jesus — who — in love for us — experienced suffering, trials, persecution, hardships, rejection, hatred — you name it — he experienced it so that we might have hope in the midst of the sorrows we face.

This is what we’re exploring in this series as we look at some of David’s psalms — including today’s psalm — psalm fifty-six. So — if you have your Bible — please turn there — to psalm fifty-six. And while you’re finding psalm fifty-six — if you weren’t with us — we began this series by looking at psalm six and the relationship between suffering and our prayer life. And — last time — we looked at psalm thirty-two and the suffering we experience due to unrepentant sin in our lives. In the coming weeks we’re going to look at the important relationship between our suffering and worship — as well as the relationship between suffering and salvation. But — today — we’re looking at the suffering we experience that’s caused by others. David addresses this in our psalm for today — psalm fifty-six — when he writes…

Psalm 56 ESV

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? 5 All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. 7 For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! 8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Here’s where we’re headed. First, we’re going to look at suffering we experience that’s caused by others. Then we’ll remind ourselves of the outcome of our suffering. Finally, we’ll look at the in-between time — the time between the moment that’s the cause of our suffering and the day we will no longer suffer — this lengthy in-between time.

SUFFERING CAUSED BY OTHERS

So — first — let’s look at suffering that’s caused by others. And we’ll begin with David’s reason for writing this psalm. We’re back in verse one where David writes…

Psalm 56:1–2 ESV

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; 2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.

And in verse five we read…

Psalm 56:5–7 ESV

5 All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. 7a For their crime will they escape?

So what’s happening in David’s life that’s caused him to write these words? Though added after the psalm was written, the introductory section helps us understand what David’s referring to. The introduction says…

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOVE ON FAR-OFF TEREBINTHS. A MIKTAM OF DAVID, WHEN THE PHILISTINES SEIZED HIM IN GATH.

Your Bible probably has something similar just above the psalm. The words for us to focus on are “when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” That’s our context clue pointing us to when this all took place in David’s life. And it points us to the book of First Samuel — chapter twenty-one. 

Jonathan — Saul’s son — has finally realized that his dad wants to kill David. And — just as he promised David — he meets David and warns him that his dad definitely wants to kill him. Which leads to David going on the run. And here’s what happens.

1 Samuel 21 NLT

1 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?” 2 “The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. 3 Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.” 4 “We don’t have any regular bread,” the priest replied. “But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.” 5 “Don’t worry,” David replied. “I never allow my men to be with women when we are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!” 6 Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread. 7 Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, was there that day, having been detained before the Lord. 8 David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword? The king’s business was so urgent that I didn’t even have time to grab a weapon!” 9 “I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah,” the priest replied. “It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.” “There is nothing like it!” David replied. “Give it to me!” 10 So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. 11 But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 12 David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. 13 So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. 14 Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? 15 We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”

Now the psalm’s introduction says that David was seized — but he isn’t seized how we might have assumed. He’s on the run and ends up in the Philistine city of Gath which — by the way — is the hometown of Goliath — the Philistine hero who David had killed. So — guess what? The Philistines in Gath don’t trust David — so he has to act insane in order to escape from them. Later — in chapter twenty-seven — David returns to Gath and appears to live in relative peace — though he’s never fully trusted by some of the Philistine commanders. 

But this is a moment in his life when others want him dead — Saul and his army — and the Philistines don’t trust him — which can help us understand what he’s describing in our psalm: People are against him. He’s on the run. Saul wants him dead. Plainly — he’s experiencing suffering caused by others.

Like David — have you ever experienced someone else’s actions putting you in a situation you never wanted to be in? And — we’re not talking about accidents today — we’re talking about intentional actions by others who wanted to cause you harm. Suffering that comes with a face attached to it — an individual with a name who’s hurt you. This is the kind of suffering David’s writing about in our psalm. Again — we’re not talking flat tires on your way to a job interview kind of suffering — we’re talking about words spoken behind your back by people you trusted — where voices turn into weapons that cause you harm — or the hand that hit you — or the friend who stole your money.

This kind of suffering is different, isn’t it?

Back to David — his pain isn’t vague — it’s quite specific. Back in verses one and two — twice he describes his situation as if he’s being trampled on. The Hebrew word means to be crushed or having the wind knocked out of you. It implies violence and aggression. David’s suffering makes him feel like he’s being squeezed — not cared for.

Later — in verse one — he says an attacker oppresses him. He’s describing an on-going, relentless kind of situation. This isn’t a one time experience — but a continual oppression done by the hands of others.

In verse five he says that they “injure his cause”. Other Bible translations say, “They cause me trouble” (NET), “they twist my words” (NIV), or “they smear my reputation” (MSG). The idea — here — is that his opponents are taking his words and making them mean something he never intended. 

Can you relate? Have you ever had someone take your words and use them against you? It’s bad enough just being misunderstood — but here the twisting of words is intentional and meant to cause harm.

Finally, these enemies of David “lurk and watch his steps.” They’re plotting to get him. 

So David’s on edge — and rightly so. His paranoia is backed by a real threat.

This is the suffering he experienced by the hands of others. A kind of suffering not unusual and — unfortunately — quite relatable for many today. But here’s where David will simultaneously challenge and encourage us. Especially if you’re not a Christian — pay attention to how David’s response differs from what’s common today.

Christian or not — how do we often respond when we experience this kind of suffering? We think…

• No one sees or cares about what I’m going through.
• I shouldn’t be going through this.
• Why doesn’t anyone believe me?
• We may get vengeful.
• And — for the Christian we can add questions like — where’s God? Or why is God silent?

That’s what we do — but what did David do? How did he respond to the suffering he experienced that was caused by others? Back to the opening words of the psalm.

Psalm 56:1 ESV

1 Be gracious to me, O God…

David prays. He takes the pain he’s experiencing — because of others — straight to God. We looked at prayer in the first sermon in this series on suffering — but prayer is important enough that we don’t want to just start with it — we want to remind ourselves of its importance throughout this series. 

But David doesn’t just pray, “Be gracious to me, O God…” — no — his prayer starts with…

Psalm 56:1 ESV

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me;

“God, I need your grace right now. Amen.” Nope. That’s not his prayer. He gets right to it. “God, I need your grace right now because people are doing bad things to me.” 

I wonder how many of us pray like this? I wonder how many of us think that God can handle us praying like this? Now I’ll put this caveat in here — because someone’s going to bring it up if I don’t — yes — you need to make sure that your suffering isn’t because of sin in your life — go listen to the last sermon in this series — but let’s not be a people who are so “your suffering must be caused by your sin” focused that we never allow suffering in someone’s life to be caused by the sins of others.

Yes, our prayers will be a bit more messy. Yes, it may get uncomfortable in your Life Group when someone prays like this. But is this psalm — and others like it — just for David to pray? Or is it an example for how God’s people can pray when we experience suffering at the hands of others? 

I believe it’s an example teaching us how to pray — which is why it’s a challenge for all of us. For not only are we to pray acknowledging the reality of the cause of our suffering — like David — we’re also to pray and endure suffering with hope that the outcome of our situation has been guaranteed.

Otherwise, how do we have an answer to David’s open-ended question in verse seven?

Psalm 56:7 ESV

7 For their crime will they escape?

Will they go unpunished? Will they get away with this? A question that demands an answer if the Christian faith offers any hope to us.

THE OUTCOME

Now — for anyone worried about what may happen to our prayers if we’re honest like David — well — this raw honesty must come with the same hope that David has: hope in knowing that the outcome of our situation is guaranteed. For David’s hope — even in the midst of his suffering — even as he asks, “will they get away with this” — is that God will act. 

• David’s hope isn’t in getting revenge against those who’ve harmed him. 
• His hope isn’t being able to manipulate the situation so that others see what’s really going on. 
• His hope isn’t even in his name being cleared of the words that have been twisted. 
• His hope is in none of that.

Let’s stop and pause and ask ourselves: When our suffering is caused by others — what’s our hope in? 

You know what your hope’s in because it’s what you dream about happening. Be honest — what do you hope will happen? If you’re not suffering right now — I’m sure you either have before or can imagine what it’d be like — so what would your hope be in?

Instead of revenge or others knowing what’s really going on or his name being cleared — David’s hope is in something much more secure: He hopes in God’s justice and presence.

We’re in verse seven where David writes…

Psalm 56:7–9 ESV

7b In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! 8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9a Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.

And in verse thirteen we read…

Psalm 56:13 ESV

13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

David’s hope is in God’s justice and presence. First, he hopes in God’s justice. In verse seven — can you believe he writes this — David says, “In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!” Other Bible translations say something like, “In your anger bring them down” (NET/NIV/NLT). 

Can we pray like this? Not only can we — we must! For this is not a prayer of vengefulness — this is a prayer calling on the Judge of the earth to be just — which is who he’s told us he is.

Let me reveal a lie you may be believing. When you’ve been wronged — sinned against — harmed by others — it’s not wrong to desire justice. Though we’re to watch taking justice into our own hands — praying to God to be faithful to who he’s said he will be — just — is a God-honoring response by those who trust him. This isn’t a prayer of, “God, give me the chance to get even with them” — that’s not what this is. This is a prayer of, “God, I trust you to do what’s right. You’ve seen what they’ve done. You’ve seen what I’ve done. May you judge justly.” Trusting in God’s justice means we believe that evil does not win.

Second, David hopes in God’s presence. Part of the guaranteed outcome of his present suffering — and this is something David has great confidence in — is in God’s presence with him in his suffering. We see this in verse eight when David writes about God keeping count of his tossing and putting his tears in a bottle and that God has recorded all that he’s experienced in a book. This is David’s way of expressing the intimate presence of God in his life — the same intimate presence that all who trust in Jesus experience.

The phrase “you’ve put my tears in your bottle” is meant to comfort us — for it reminds us that — God so treasures our pain that he holds on to every tear we’ve cried. You see — those lies we so easily believe — for example — that we’re forgotten — no, no, — you’re not forgotten. Not even your tears have gone unnoticed by your ever present and loving Savior. May God’s nearness to you not only comfort you — but inspire you to praise your loving God even in your suffering.

THE IN-BETWEEN

And it’s to the time of suffering that we now turn. What I’m calling the “in-between” time. The time between the incident that caused our suffering and the outcome we just looked at. We’re in verse three.

Psalm 56:3–4 ESV

3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

And skipping to verse nine we read…

Psalm 56:9–12 ESV

9b This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.

The in-between time is the time we’re most familiar with, isn’t it? This is the time of suffering.

David says, “When I’m afraid, I put my trust in you.” Notice that he says, “When I’m afraid” not “if I’m afraid.” David admits that he’s afraid. 

Did you know that being afraid isn’t necessarily sinful? Sometimes we think that being afraid is always sinful, don’t we? To be sure — fear can lead us to sin if we don’t point our fear in the right direction: to God. That’s why David says — three times! — “When I’m afraid, I put my trust in you.”

“But, OK, David. How does that work exactly? Because when I’m afraid…I panic.” For someone else it’s, “When I’m afraid…I get angry.” For others it’s, “When I’m afraid…I give up.” And “What can man do to me?” Um…the list is pretty long David. Man can…

• Fire me.
• Slander me.
• Falsely accuse me.
• Molest me.
• Beat me.
• Rape me.

So what about all of that David? How do we trust God when we’re afraid?

The first thing to know about trust is that trust is a conscious decision. It’s active — not passive. And trust is strengthened similar to a muscle — through daily exercise. The exercises that build our trust in God have been called spiritual disciplines in church history. And these take the same dedication and devotion as does wanting to build physical strength in the gym. 

You can go to the gym once a month, do a bunch of bicep curls and — guess what — if you only do this once a month you’re not going to see any change. Which makes me question why we’re shocked that our trust in God is so weak. Any recent research on Bible reading, prayer, worship attendance, or other key “building our trust in God” activities — whether by Pew Research Center, Barna Group, or Lifeway Research — reveal statistics like…

• 39-45% of us read our Bible weekly. 11-14% read our Bible daily. Leaving 35-40% of self-identified Christians rarely or never reading their Bibles. About 85% of us read our Bibles about the equivalent of going to the gym once a week or less. Do you think this is strengthening our trust in God?
• We do better with prayer — 60-65% of us pray daily. 
• Worship attendance sees a big drop — 25-30% of us worship weekly. 20-25% of us worship once or twice a month. Leaving 40-50% of self-identified Christians seldom or never worship services. And — because you may be wondering about it — researchers now take into account online worship attendance. 
• When it comes to serving in the church, 20-25% regularly serve. 30-35% occasionally serve. And 40-50% rarely or never serve.
• Only 10-15% practice fasting as a spiritual discipline.
• 5-10% of Christians tithe or give 10% of their income to a local church.
• 30-35% of Christians are in a small group that focuses on discipleship.
• And under 20% practice Bible memorization.

None of these spiritual disciplines are a silver bullet but — through regular practice of them — just like regularly going to the gym — you will see progress. Meaning — by doing them — you will experience growth in your trust in God. But if you wait until you feel like doing any of these spiritual disciplines — just like waiting until you feel like going to the gym — you’ll never get started. Instead — as many can attest — by making these spiritual disciplines regular habits — though at first they didn’t necessarily enjoy or feel like doing them — after some time — they found that their desires had changed. And suddenly they’re no longer disciplines of duty — but disciplines of delight.

So — if like David — you want to do more than just survive your suffering — if you want to thrive even as you suffer — you must be relentless in practicing spiritual disciplines — including worshiping God with his people. For worship is your response to the outcome that you’ve put your hope in: rescue. And — not just rescue from your present suffering — but a rescue from eternal suffering.

For worship is the response when one believes the truth…

Psalm 56:9 ESV

9b This I know, that God is for me.

This is our anchor in the storm of suffering. An anchor the apostle Paul describes this way…

Romans 8:28–39 NLT

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is God’s powerful love on display. And — when we trust in God’s love for us — fear will not have the final word. Suffering will not have the final word. Even us getting revenge will not have the final word. His love will have the final word.

CONCLUSION

Today David’s given us an example and an invitation. An example of how we can suffer at the hands of others and do so with hope. We do so by being honest in our prayers — by trusting God for the outcome — and while we’re in the in-between time — by building our trust in him. 

That’s the example — here’s the invitation: If you’re in a season of suffering because of what someone’s done to you — how will you now respond to your suffering?

I know that you may feel trampled, and that your words have been twisted, and that you’re surrounded by those who oppose you — but where will you find hope?

Jesus — who came to earth to be Immanuel — which means “God with us” — on the night of his crucifixion was slandered by others. His words were twisted. He was surrounded by his enemies. He was trampled on as he was beaten and whipped. All because he was betrayed by the kiss of a friend. Jesus knows what it means to suffer at the hands of others.

Yet Jesus also knew that his Heavenly Father was for him. And that his Father in Heaven would deliver him from death. And three days later the tomb was empty and his enemies — and ours — were forever defeated.

And — through faith in Jesus — we know — we know, we know — and you can know too — that God is for us. And not just us — but he’s for me. And he will be for you — if you turn to Jesus in faith — trusting in his love for you — which is what I want us to pray for right now. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, be gracious to all of us — for we’re all in need of your grace — whether we’re suffering or not. But for those suffering because of what others have done — we pray especially for your great grace to shower over them. Even now — we ask — may they know they’re recipients of your love.

Holy Spirit, protect your people. How many times are we unaware of your protection and — only when suffering comes upon us — do we question your protection. Forgive us — we ask — both for not appreciating your protection that often goes unrecognized and for doubting your goodness and love for us when we experience suffering.

And — Jesus — because of all that you’ve done — in your life, death, and resurrection — we can say with certainty: This I know, God is for me. And you are causing everything — including our suffering — to work together for our good. And nothing in all of creation — not even those who have caused our present suffering — will ever separate us from your love.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — may we rest in your love. May we make you look glorious in our suffering. And may those who are suffering — Christian or not — turn to you — right now — for their hope. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available | Suffering caused by others)

May you go knowing that God is for you and loves you — even in your suffering. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

DATE: 4-6-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend — taking a look at the spiritual gifts that Paul mentions in his letter so we all understand what these gifts are and how they’re to be used in our faith family. Now the purpose of the spiritual gifts is something I have and will continue to remind us of: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. – Lexham Survey of Theology

Here’s what Paul says about the gifts — in Romans chapter twelve — beginning in verse four. There we read…

Romans 12:4–8 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

We started off by taking two weeks to explore the gift of prophecy. Next, we looked at the gift of service — then the gift of teaching. And — last week — we looked at the gift of exhortation or encouragement. Which means that — today — we’re going to look at the gift of generosity or giving, which Paul mentions in verse eight when he writes…

Romans 12:8b ESV

8b the one who contributes, in generosity;

WHAT IS THE GIFT OF GENEROSITY?

So let’s begin by answering the question, “What is the gift of generosity or giving?” The definition that I shared with you a few weeks ago is…

Giving

The gift of giving is the divine strength or ability to produce wealth and to give by tithes and offerings for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God on earth.

You may remember that this is one of my top five spiritual gifts — along with teaching and prophecy — two other gifts we’ve looked at in this series on spiritual gifts.

Now — giving — like many of the other spiritual gifts — is not only a spiritual gift — but is also something God expects of all his people. Like you’ve heard me say about other gifts — just because you don’t have the spiritual gift of giving doesn’t mean you’re off the hook when it comes to the commands about money, wealth, and giving that we find in the Bible.

In fact our vision is that every follower of Jesus — who’s part of this faith family — would be generous. In many ways — collectively as a church — giving or generosity is a spiritual gift that we’re known for. This was long part of Gateway’s DNA before I arrived — but is something I’m happy to continue promoting. Whether it be our Christmas Eve offering — which we give entirely away — or how much of our church budget goes to missions — and specifically to people groups around the world who have little or no access to the gospel — being generous — especially with our resources — is a characteristic of the kind of disciples of Jesus that Gateway is known for.

In fact — I’m reminded of Paul’s words about the Christians in Macedonia — when he writes…

2 Corinthians 8:1–9 ESV

1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Though experiencing a severe test of affliction and extreme poverty — because of their abundant joy in their Savior — the Christians in Macedonia overflowed in their generosity. Collectively — as a church — each person gave according to their means — because giving is something God expects of all of his people. Yet — many went beyond their means in their giving. And the way Paul applies this to the Christians in Corinth — whom he’s writing to — is by reminding them that — just as they were striving to excel in their faith, speech, knowledge, and so on — to excel in their giving too. Why? Because our generosity proves that our love for God and one another is genuine. What does your generosity say about your love for God and others?

And — if that wasn’t motivating enough — Paul goes on to remind them — and us — of what Jesus gave up for our sake. He left the infinite riches of Heaven and became poor on our behalf. Born — not to a king and queen — but to a poor couple. He lived most of his life dependent on the generosity of others — as we’ll see in a moment. And — when he died — he was buried in a borrowed grave. Jesus did all of this so that — through faith in him — we are made co-heirs with him — those who are promised the infinite riches of Heaven.

EXAMPLES OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFT OF GIVING

But — this isn’t a general sermon on giving — this is a sermon on the spiritual gift of giving. So — let’s look at some possible examples of this spiritual gift in the New Testament. 

There are a few examples — from the life and ministry of Jesus — where we see something like this gift at work. You may have noticed how I keep saying that these may be examples of the gift of giving — and that’s because — in none of these do we find a statement such as “And this was the spiritual gift of giving on display.” But this doesn’t mean there isn’t something we can learn from these examples.

Here’s one from Luke’s gospel. In Luke chapter eight we read…

Luke 8:1–3 ESV

1 Soon afterward he (Jesus) went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

These women — Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna — and some others who are unnamed — financially supported Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Given that the church today is funded by the generosity of others — it’s interesting to notice how infrequently we hear of how Jesus’ ministry was financially funded. Which is why — when we do come across these passages — we should pay attention.

Jesus — and his twelve disciples — are able to do full time ministry because of the generosity of these women. I’m sure others supported them — gave them food to eat, a place to stay for the night and so on — but these women are highlighted by Luke. In the church today — we prefer to keep the giving of individuals private. Know that this hasn’t always been the case even though it feels “right” or “the only way” to us today. 

Pastor Ben — Gateway’s founding pastor — once told me that the church he grew up in as a boy listed all of the financial givers in the church publicly. And — the list was based on how much an individual gave — with the biggest giver at the top of the list. Obviously, there might be all kinds of bad reasons to put the biggest giver at the top of the list — but think of how our view of giving in the church has changed in pastor Ben’s lifetime?

Yet Luke — inspired by the Holy Spirit — has no qualms mentioning these women by name because of their financial contributions to the ministry of Jesus. Maybe this is to highlight how the Spirit of God worked in and through these women in a special way — through the spiritual gift of generosity — as they supported Jesus and his disciples.

Here’s another possible example — this time we’re in Mark’s gospel. After warning his listener’s about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day…

Mark 12:41–44 ESV

41 He (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

For many of us — just the idea of clearing out our savings account and giving it all away — is beyond comprehension. It’s not that you’re any less of a Christian — you can’t help but think of biblical passages about financial prudence and planning — rightly so. Yet — for some Christians — especially those with the spiritual gift of generosity — it’s not that they aren’t financially prudent or that they fail to plan — the call to give all of their financial resources away is a matter of obedience.

This too — unfortunately — can become a point of division among Christians. Where — those with this gift can view other Christians — who are being faithful in their giving as commanded in Scripture — as if they’re being greedy for not giving more — or all — of their resources away. And — at the same time — those without this spiritual gift can view those with it as being financially irresponsible — which may be the case — but isn’t always the case.

As I mentioned — this is a spiritual gift that makes my top five. My wife also has this gift. At one point in our marriage we were led by God to give away everything in our bank account. Our kids were all in elementary school and younger at the time and — in the eyes of most people — this wasn’t a good time to give everything away. But this was a matter of obedience for us. Was it scary? Absolutely! But we’re never told that following Jesus won’t lead to unusual — or even scary — circumstances in life.

So — we did it. We gave everything in our bank account away. And — within two months — without being solicited or knowing about our decision — other Christians started sending us money. Like thousands of dollars. Now — listen to me very carefully — because I’m no health, wealth, and prosperity preacher — but I am one who preaches about the faithfulness of our God. And he took care of us — I believe — because we were obedient. “Well, Josh, would God have taken care of you if it wasn’t really him telling you to give everything away?” I don’t know — that’s not what happened! But — for us — it was the one time in our marriage where we felt called to do something that — in the eyes of nearly everyone else — seemed crazy. And God showed up in ways we didn’t expect or anticipate.

Like the widow — we didn’t give out of our abundance — though we have done that for most of our marriage — this was an instance of giving everything we had to live on so we could experience — not only dependence upon God to meet our needs — but his faithfulness in supplying all that we needed and more.

Here’s another possible example of the spiritual gift of giving — we’re in Acts chapter four. At this point in church history, the church had grown quickly and the Christians have started to experience persecution. Things haven’t gotten that bad for them yet — but it’s becoming evident that not everyone is going to be open to this new religion. Yet the poor, widows, orphans, and outcasts of society are finding hope in the news about Jesus. And here’s how Luke describes the church in Acts chapter four.

Acts 4:32–37 NLT

32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. 36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.

Our focus will be on Barnabas again — we looked at him last week — he’ll later become one of Paul’s companions in ministry. Now Barnabas is obviously not the only Christian being generous — but he’s highlighted in this story which is why we’re focusing on him. He sells some land he owns and gives all of the money to the apostles — the leaders in the church. We’re not told that he sold all of his land — or that he gave all of his wealth away — but he did give all of the money from the sale of this particular plot of land to the church. An act of generosity above and beyond the giving expected of followers of Jesus.

And — if you don’t know — the very next story in Acts is an account of counterfeit generosity. We’ve looked at the story in previous sermons — so we won’t read it now — but it’s the story of a husband and wife — Ananias and Sapphira — who sell a piece of land they owned. And — in wanting to appear to be generous like Barnabas — and the other unnamed individuals — they claim to give all of the proceeds to the church — when — in reality — they kept back some of the money for themselves.

Now — to be clear — they had every right to keep some of the money from the sale of their land — that’s not sinful — which tells us that’s not why they die — spoiler alert — if you don’t know their story. They die because they lie about their generosity. They wanted the accolades for doing what Barnabas did without the sacrifice. Which tells us that the spiritual gift of giving — just like prophecy and teaching and other gifts — has a counterfeit. Meaning — just like we’re warned about false prophets — in the Old Testament — and false teachers — in the New Testament — we’d be foolishly unbiblical to not be aware of people faking generosity in the church for ill intent.

You see — God’s church isn’t to be bought. And people will use wealth and giving as a way to try and buy the direction of a church — or threaten to hold back their giving if they don’t get their way. And God will have none of it — and neither will the elders of Gateway. Thankfully — this isn’t something we deal with often. But giving to God — and his church — isn’t done to get something in return. It’s done because it’s a commandment to obey. And — for those who recognize the beauty in Christ — which we looked at earlier — the desire to control anyone or anything with their giving will be put to death and not an option.

Now something I find conflicting — in regards to the spiritual gift of giving — is that — because giving is something that’s such a private affair among us American Christians — we’re unable to be grateful for those who the Holy Spirit displays himself through this spiritual gift for our good. Think about it. A few weeks ago I named a bunch of different people who the Holy Spirit displays himself through the spiritual gift of serving. The next week I named individuals when I preached on the spiritual gift of teaching. But if I was to start naming folks who display evidence of the spiritual gift of giving in our church — well — things would get weird, wouldn’t it?

And I think that weirdness is less biblical than we realize. Think about the passages we’ve already read. We know the names of the women who financially supported Jesus’ ministry just like we know Barnabas’s name. But I recognize the culture in which we live — so I’ll just suggest that there’s some room for us all to grow in recognizing how to be grateful to specific people among us who the Holy Spirit uses in this way. Not so we show favoritism, but so that we show honor. For all spiritual gifts are needed and all parts of the body are to be honored — and maybe the spiritual gift of giving is one of the parts of the body that Paul called “unpresentable” — but we still need to honor and show thankfulness to those whom the Spirit uses in this way.

Nevertheless, thank you to those among us whom the Spirit of God has empowered with the gift of giving. We’re a more generous church because of the Spirit using you in this way.

CONCLUSION: SOME REMINDERS ABOUT GIVING

I’d like to conclude with some reminders about giving. Though these are some general reminders — for those with the spiritual gift of giving — these are the verses that make your heart sing. And for those who have yet to develop or discover if they’ve been given this spiritual gift — may these verses stir in you a desire to pursue being used by God in this unique way.

On his way to Jerusalem — Paul called for the elders of the church in Ephesus to come and meet with him. He reminds them of what he taught them while he was with them. He warns them about people who will try to lead the church astray. And then he says these final words to the church leaders.

Acts 20:32–35 ESV

32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Final words matter. We don’t just save our best words for last — we save the most important matters for last. And — in his final words to these church leaders in Ephesus — Paul quotes Jesus in saying, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” Paul used some of his last words to remind these church leaders about giving.

Similarly — years later when Timothy was pastoring this same church in Ephesus — Paul would write to him…

1 Timothy 6:6–19 ESV

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Be watchful of what you desire — for those who desire to be rich will find themselves in eternal ruin and destruction. The love of money leads many away from following Jesus. And those who follow Jesus are to flee from such things. And instead are to pursue righteousness — being right with God — godliness — becoming more like Christ — faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness as we hold firmly to the eternal life we’ve been given.

And — in the age in which we live — we are the “rich in the world.” The least wealthy among us are still rich compared to the vast majority of the world. Thus we’re to take to heart Paul’s command to not set our hope on riches, but on our God who’s so generous that he richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

So do good. Be rich in your good works. Be generous and ready to share with anyone in need. For — in doing so — you will be storing up treasures in Heaven where you will experience God’s presence — and his glorious riches — for all eternity. Let’s pray together.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for being rich in kindness and mercy towards us. For being generous to us by providing us with all we need and infinitely more in Christ.

Spirit, what a unique way you’ve called your people to live. You call all of us to be generous — and yet you empower some of us to display your power through the spiritual gift of giving. This is a gift we need in order to grow into our full maturity in Christ as a congregation. Thank you for those you’ve called and gifted in this way. 

And — Jesus — you left the riches of Heaven to come to earth for our sake. And — because of your love for us — as displayed on the cross — we’ve been made co-heirs with you. Eternal riches will be ours for you have guaranteed this in your blood. 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — generously pour out your favor, grace, mercy, and kindness on those who don’t yet believe in Jesus by drawing them near to you and giving them the gift of eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available / ELDERS AVAILABLE)

May you go with grateful hearts for the Spirit’s work in making us a generous people. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Date: 12/4/2024

Questions

• These were some questions for Josh from the Fall 2024 Membership class.

1. Would you suggest that college students become members of Gateway Church despite the majority of them only being in Findlay for roughly 4 years and the majority of them going home for the summer?

2. Are there rules surrounding who can and can’t become a member beyond being baptized and a believer?

3. (Word & Spirit Christians) In this section you said that God’s Word teaches us to ask God for understanding of His Word. Do you think that we should not be so quick to turn to the wisdom of commentaries when studying the Bible? There are a lot of people that are a lot smarter and wiser than I am, so wouldn’t it be beneficial to study God’s Word as accurately as possible without the risk of maybe interpreting something incorrectly?

4. (Disciples who make disciples) In the booklet you say, “No member and no role is more or less important than the others; we just have different responsibilities because of our roles.” I’m challenged by the idea that everyone has an impactful role. In my head, if a pastor left, versus if a greeter left, the pastor leaving would be felt much greater than a greeter leaving. Sure, they each have a specific role, but objectively, one does not seem nearly as impactful as the other. 

5. (We are family) Is Life Group the only measure of being a part of the Gateway “faith family”? Page 31 says as such, but while Scripture does infer membership as being important, scripturally is there a place where Life Groups are a measure of being a part of the body of a church?
   1. Does Gateway believe you can never fully treat someone as a part of the church family if they aren’t a member?

6. (Generosity) The story of the master who entrusted his servants with 5 coins, 2 coins, and 1 coin makes it seem that investing our money is a good thing. And when I say investing, I think about Roth IRAs, 401ks, 529s, etc. However, would this be considered storing up our treasures on earth?
   1. I don’t know if we can say all of those investments are storing up treasures on earth, that’s a motive of the heart issue.
   2. However, in the parable reference, don’t forget that all of the servants invested the money for the master’s benefit. And the master, in the parable, represents God. And investing our resources for God’s benefit is the opposite of storing up treasures on earth.

7. (Disciples who make disciples) One thing that challenged me from the chapter on being a disciple who makes disciples is that we MUST be disciples who are worthy of someone else’s imitation. This is challenging. I struggle to sometimes understand how Paul could even say this phrase with humility in his heart. Personally, if I think about telling someone, “Hey man, you should honestly imitate me because I am imitating Christ,” I would think of myself as the most prideful person ever Yes, I feel like I understand the point that it is trying to make: that all of our actions should point people back to the life that Christ desires us to live for His glory. We are obviously imperfect, so to imitate us would mean to imitate God imperfectly.
   1. I wonder if this is because the questioner is not modeling a life of repentance and humility. The quote in the book is a quote from Paul who told others to imitate him as he imitates Christ AND also acknowledged that he was the worst of sinners. So, at least for Paul, it seems like you can say “imitate me”, recognize that you’re not perfect, and do all of it humbly.

8. (Kingdom minded) How can we direct our minds and hearts to be Kingdom-minded and make disciples of ALL nations when many followers of Jesus struggle to even start making disciples, evangelize, and fulfill the Great Commission in their home community?
   1. Poor performance in one area doesn’t excuse poor performance in other areas. Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations — Jerusalem, Judea, Samara, and the ends of the earth. He didn’t say, “Get Jerusalem up and running well. Then move on to Judea. And, if Jerusalem starts reversing course, pull back from Judea and Samaria until you get Jerusalem going well again.” 
   2. And, from what I generally see in the church world, a church that’s not making disciples well in their local area isn’t doing so anywhere else either. And those that do well locally usually are doing so in other places.

9. (Disciples who make disciples) Why are the only places to make disciples listed in the book ministries through Gateway? Does this look exclusionary to people’s workplaces, hobbies and friends?
   1. Because the book that we had you read is specifically about our local church ministry. It’s not meant to cover “everything and everywhere you might make disciples” but “here’s what we do at Gateway.”
   2. Similarly, if I were reading a book on “making disciples in the workplace” it’d be unfair of me to say, “But aren’t we supposed to also make disciples in the local church? Why didn’t the author cover the church too?” Well it should be obvious: that wasn’t the goal of the book. 

10. I have a co-worker that does not directly associate himself with a religion but is interested in learning more about every religion.  I have discussed the Christian faith with him multiple times and the biggest thing that seems to worry or confuse Him about God is the Trinity and He wishes that there was a time in the Bible that Jesus simply said that He is God.  I know the Trinity can be a confusing and difficult concept to discuss along with many other topics.  What is a good approach to answering difficult questions on complex topics that people may have when the Bible doesn’t give people exactly the “proof” or “answers” they want?
    1. First, know that no proof or answer will convince someone. We find people in the Bible saying things like, “If you do a miracle we’ll believe that you’re the Son of God.” And this was after they’d already seen him do other miracles. And Jesus didn’t do the requested miracle for them because he knew it wouldn’t matter.
    2. Now — as far as Jesus claiming to be God: If we look for those exact words, “And Jesus said, ‘I am God” — your friend would be correct. There’s nothing like that in the Bible. However, Jesus did say something very similar that — for the religious leaders of his day — was even more obvious (and to them blasphemous) than just simply saying, “I am God.” What did Jesus say? He said, “I am” — the name that God revealed to Moses back in the book of Exodus. And all the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day knew that Jesus — in saying, “I am” — was saying, “I am the God who spoke to Moses, who spoke to Abraham, who created all things, and so on.” That’s why they tried to kill him on the spot.

Date: 10/27/2021

Questions

If God knows everything and already knows the choices we are going to make then what exactly would be the purpose of life? If God loves everyone then why is there hell and why would he create them?

1. The purpose of life is to glorify God. God being all knowing doesn’t affect why he created us. This, however, is a God-centered view of life (instead of a “me” centered view).
2. I recently was asked a similar question about God’s love. Here’s the question that was emailed to me:
   1. The scripture referenced in the Sunday sermon a few weeks back Malachi 1:3 uses the terminology God hated Esau.  It was said that God does hate some people, which went with the conversation of free will versus predestination.  When I use the term hate it has very strong connotations (try to minimize it for sure 🙂 We talk all the time of translation from the Greek or Hebrew and how imperfect it is but in all the different translations our life group looked up it used the term hate.  But yet at the end of the message you stated that it was important for everyone to understand  that God loves them, which you say every week.  My question is how can he love us all but hate some also?  Seems to be a contradiction, there should be some in the congregation that he hates.  Is this just in line with hate the sin not the sinner?  It doesn’t seem so to me.  Our life
3. Here was my answer (I’m just going to read it, so bear with me):
   1. The short answer is that we probably have too narrow of a definition of what it means for God to love all people (including those he “hates”). Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 are helpful. ““You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 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. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Though this isn’t a saving love, towards those who are evil and unjust, God does demonstrate love for his enemies by sending rain to water their crops. Additionally, he loves those who will never believe in Jesus by blessing them with friends and family, enjoyment of his creation, and so on. And again, though this isn’t a love for them that saves them, neither is this a love they deserve. Yet, in love, God demonstrates for us what it means to love all people — even our enemies — as he loves those who are his enemies.

So when I tell everyone that God loves them. I in no way am defining “love” by “God will save you” or that “God doesn’t hate anyone hearing my voice”, in a salvation sense. But Scripture teaches that God does love everyone — just not all with his saving love. And I don’t know who God will save. So I trust, in faith, that some who hear me say the words “God loves you” will be awakened to his love and be saved.

Just recently, I was told of a young couple who started coming to Gateway during the pandemic. He was delivering some food to one of our worship band rehearsals and someone took advantage of the opportunity and invited him to come on a Sunday. So he and his wife came. But what brought them back, according to his wife, was me saying, “God loves you.” She had never heard someone tell her that before. But it stirred in her a reason to come back and to keep coming back. So there’s my short (long-winded) answer.

I read a TGC article about church growth among the Iranian people. Do you have any book recommendations about the underground church and the ministry that is taking place there?

1. I’ve not read either of these books, but I’ve heard some buzz about them.
2. Iran’s Great Awakening released in 2020.
3. Too Many to Jail: The Story of Iran’s new Christians released in 2014.

Josh, I love learning the history — very helpful! Can you recommend a source for more study?

1. Bible Project videos on YouTube
2. Old Testament surveys can be helpful. Longman and Dillard have written An Introduction to the Old Testament which is sort of the standard book on the subject.
3. Honestly, knowing your Bible better helps the most. Find a chronological reading plan (where you read the Bible as history unfolds), this has helped me a ton in putting the history together.

He probably knew he would get asked this (in regards to the sermon teachings about Jesus seated at the right hand of God), and I’ve heard “standard” explanations on this before (BSF) but what about Acts 7:55-56 in this context? I have an investment in this answer because I have used lyrics in one of my worship compositions “… Jesus standing, alive at the right hand of God.”  Is this lyric theologically incorrect? Thank you for your help!

1. We answered a similar question on the kid’s episode that we recorded about a month or two ago.
2. Jesus standing, in Acts 7, was for a specific moment — the stoning of Stephen. I’d be cautious to take this one moment and make it a universal posture for Jesus in Heaven. Especially with other references about him being seated. Him standing, as Stephen is killed, is impactful because Jesus is usually seated.

Why does the “Church” only apply to our congregation when it comes to tithing?  Giving to other ministries included in the “Church of Jesus Christ” should be part of our giving. I’m not a stickler on this, I don’t lessen my Gateway giving when I give to other Christian missions like CRU. Doesn’t Gateway pay music royalties to churches like Hillsong, Elevation and Bethel, which are questionable in their theology and reputation? I like to ponder these issues, but my dad and one son would say “just try to understand the Gospel basics, do the right thing and don’t worry about controversies.”

1. We’ve addressed this person’s concerns about money going to Hillsong, Elevation Church, and Bethel on episode 66 when they asked a similar question. So we won’t tackle it again.
2. But why does the tithe go to the “church” — meaning a local church — and why isn’t it OK to split your tithe between the local church and other organizations?
   1. Let’s first acknowledge that some split their tithe between the local church and non-Christian non-profits. Obviously, there’s no way to consider this to be giving to the church.
   2. This person uses the example of CRU — formerly Campus Crusade for Christ. But here’s a fairly obvious question to ask. What do we call organizations like CRU, YoungLife, Women’s Resource Center, etc…? We call them para-church ministries. “Para” is a Greek prefix which means “alongside of” or “beside”. So para-church means “alongside the church” or “beside the church.” Which means “not the church.” Christian organization? Yes. The church? No.
   3. So should we give to these para-church organizations? Yes! But do so as an offering, which is above and beyond the tithe — which goes to the local church. This is what my family does. We give more than 10% to Gateway and then we give above and beyond to other missionaries and para-church organizations.
   4. But aren’t we all part of the “big C” church? Yes. But the Bible speaks more about local churches than it does the “big C” or universal church. And the giving passages in the New Testament are almost always in regards to local churches. In fact, if Christians all tithed to their local church, para-church ministries would all be fully funded by local churches. This would keep all Christian ministry directly connected to local churches as opposed to the disconnectedness that often happens in our day. 
   5. Finally, there are instances where para-church organizations start doing things that the church is mandated to do. Things like communion and baptism — sacraments of the church — that Jesus commanded his church to do. It starts getting weird — honestly it’s biblically suspect — when these things are done outside of the church. These things happen when we start to overemphasize the “big C” church and undervalue the local church. And — with giving — along with other things — the more we undervalue the local church the less surprised we should be when the local church doesn’t have the resources to be the “city shining on a hill” in our dark world that she’s supposed to be — that Christ has commissioned her to be. The less surprised we should be when churches are understaffed and unable to be there for us when we need pastoral care or financial assistance because we’ve taken resources away from the local church and given it to other organizations. Organizations we won’t show up to for pastoral care. Organizations we won’t show up to when we need the help of the church.
   6. So prioritize the first fruits of your giving to your local church. Then give above and beyond to other Christian ministries that are working alongside the church — but not in place of the local church. 

Release Date: March 7,  2023

Preciousness of Christ https://gracetothenation.wordpress.com/2022/06/17/the-preciousness-of-christ-to-his-people-above-everything/ (3:05)

3 Benefits of Writing Your Prayers https://aaronarmstrong.co/3-benefits-of-writing-your-prayers/ (6:00) 

Book Recommendation: Love, Dad and Me https://www.instagram.com/p/CnwW9u1OZv-/ (6:55) 

Questions

Question from last week’s sermon…Our life group had some great conversation about generosity. One follow up question that came up was wondering what constitutes giving to the local church? Is it considered tithing to give to a missionary (a church plant, directly supporting someone doing campus outreach or another similar) or even a small Bible preaching church that you don’t regularly attend but who needs support to stay open? Is splitting our tithe between the church we regularly attend and these examples displeasing to God? (9:45)

You were talking about in the sermon how we are all liars and how we bare false witness constantly against God and one of the main arguments I’ve heard when we are defending the bible is authenticity and the reason why we can trust it is that there are so many eye witnesses that we rely on to write what they saw down. How do we reconcile knowing that we are all liars but still say the bible is true? (17:10)

At the end of the sermon you said we are the worst of the worst, the bottom of all the liars and we have to trust Jesus to see us through that and our honesty, what is some real life application to trust in Jesus to tell the truth and be a reliable witness. (22:40)

If lying is simply the absence of truth, then is it sin for Christian parents to do Santa Claus with their kids? (29:20)

Is suicide considered a sin? If so, where does it discuss this topic in the Bible? (31:35)

Release Date: February 28,  2023

Questions

I have an odd question. I am seeing and hearing some about 1 Enoch and how this collection of writings from yr 2/3 BC was supposedly referred to in Jude and how some believe that Jesus referred to it in a rebuke of the sadducees question about the wife with multiple husbands. I have done a little research and realize it is not considered inspired and not included in the Hebrew or vast majority of Christian Bibles. My question is, does the book contradict the canonical Christian Bible, and if not, is it a reliable source for information in early jewish theology. Meaning, definitions of the sons of God and daughters of men and where the nephilim came from? (2:05)

What should tithing look like for teenagers? (7:20)

Can you tithe things like time or service? (9:05)

What does racketeering mean? (11:00)

If someone claims faith in Christ and is a believer but leaves the faith or doesn’t live a glorifying life to God, is his or her inheritance still guaranteed? (11:55)

Beyond the tithe, what can giving generously look like? How do you know who or what to give to? (16:00)

As teenagers, what are some practical ways they can start giving generously? (20:15)

I know I heard one asked on this topic….10% of net or gross for tithing (23:10)

Why are there all these different ancient cultures with the same creation and flooding accounts? (29:00)

In Genesis 35: 11, God promises to Jacob that kings shall come from him, however in 1 Samuel 8 when the men of Israel ask Samuel for a king, God tells Samuel that the people have rejected him [God] as king. So what is going on here? The text is very clear that the people wanted a king for the wrong reasons, but is God very subtly foretelling of Israel’s rejection to Jacob? Is this a moral failure on Jacob’s behalf? Would it have been righteous of him to affirm that only God is to be king over his offspring? Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but seeing how most of the kings of Israel and Judah were evil, is this an instance of a generational sin? (31:20)

SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)

DATE: 4-18-21

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us in person at our North Main campus or are joining us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing in our series in the eighth chapter of the book of Romans today. We’re nearing the end of our two year journey through this chapter. A chapter — as we’ve seen — that’s full of great promises and truths of our faith. So if life is troubling you and you need some hope and assurance — this chapter is a great place to turn to. So let’s turn to our passage for today.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Romans chapter 8. We’ll be looking at verses 31-39. And as I mentioned last week, we’re going to be in these final nine verses for six weeks. 

We’re in Romans chapter 8. Beginning in verse 31. 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Have you ever lost something of value and put out a reward for it? Now — most of us probably haven’t — but we’ve heard about folks who have. For example, earlier this year you most likely heard that two of Lady Gaga’s dogs were stolen. They were stolen by armed men who actually shot her dog walker — who survived — and Lady Gaga called him a hero. She then put out a $500,000 reward for the return of her dogs. And — for all of you concerned dog lovers — her dogs were eventually returned.

But what about that reward? Five hundred thousand dollars. What does that tell you about her love for her dogs? Their value to her? 

“Well, that’s Lady Gaga,” you might be thinking. “Regular folks don’t do that.” Well a San Francisco woman’s dog was stolen and she stopped at nothing to find her dog. She offered a $7,000 reward for her dog’s return. She hired a plane to fly a banner over the city to spread the word. She handed out thousands of flyers. She set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the reward. And — as if all that’s not enough — she even set up a Tinder profile for her dog in hopes that the dating app might help her find her dog. Obviously, she highly valued her dog.

But — now — let’s change the question. We’ve seen how far we’ll go to get something returned to us that we value, but now let’s look at this from a different angle. What’s the best — or most valuable — thing you’ve ever given away? 

When I think of stuff that’s usually donated — or given away — I don’t think of the best or most valuable stuff, do you? The stores we donate to are called secondhand stores for a reason, right? 

There are some things we highly value — thus we’ll put out a costly reward for its return. Then there are other things we once valued, but don’t any longer — so we donate it. And still there are other things, we once valued — don’t any longer — so we throw it out. But have you ever given away or donated the equivalent of something that you’d have put out a “reward for its return if it was lost or stolen” — have you ever given something highly valued away? 

Now — for each of us — the cost of what we value is different. For example, my wife and I had a proud parent moment recently. Our oldest son, Wesley, works at Goodwill. Recently, his boss texted him a letter that a customer had mailed to the store and Wes was told to make sure your mom and dad read it. 

A lady’s husband had dropped her off at Goodwill — they’re not from Findlay — and the husband was going to some other store in town — not within walking distance — while she shopped at Goodwill. And he ended up locking his keys in the car. So here they are — not in their hometown — at separate stores — with the car locked and the keys on the inside. Now she had a set of keys in her purse but — they’re not together — so they’re in quite the situation. 

Well she asks Wesley for some information about a cab, Uber, whatever — and he gets her the information and ends up calling her a cab. The cost of the cab ride was going to be $10. But — to add a bit more drama to her day — she’d never taken a cab before, she wasn’t sure how payment worked…and she only had a large bill in her purse. So she was pretty nervous about the whole situation. 

Well Wesley told her to wait and he’d be right back. As her letter tells the story, “He walked all the way across the store and went in the back area. When he came back he walked up to me and gave me $15. It brought tears to my eyes…I asked him his name and told him I would repay him very soon. He said, ‘Oh no, you don’t need to, this stuff happens.’ He’s a young man and I know how dear that much money was to him. I want to highly commend his integrity, generosity, and compassion. It was very welcomed and appreciated.”

So why did I tell that story? To brag on my son — well — not only to brag on my son. I don’t want us to get caught up in comparing five hundred thousand dollars to fifteen dollars. 

Jesus once praised a woman for giving the equivalent of a couple of pennies in the offering because it was all she had while others — who gave a lot more than her — weren’t demonstrating the same type of generosity.

But I bring all of this up because — today — we’re going to see Paul ask another rhetorical question that’s the exclamation point of the question he asked us last week. The question he asked us last week was, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And Paul answers his question with another question found in verse thirty-two.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32 ESV)

So Paul answers his question “If God is for us, who can be against us” by making sure that we understand that this God — who is for us — is so for us that he gave his Son as proof — as evidence — that he is for us. 

And Paul’s question to us now — is this: How will God — who gave up Jesus for us — how will he not also give us all things? Which brings me back to our earlier question: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever given away? 

I ask — because — I want us to be careful to not have in mind those typical things we drop off at Goodwill. Sure — it’s not worth throwing out — but it’s also not worth keeping. I want this kind of thinking to be far removed from our minds and hearts when Paul asks us the question, “If God gave us Jesus, how will he not also give us all things?” For God gave us his very best — in giving us Christ. God didn’t spare what he valued most — he gave what he valued most. Five hundred thousand dollars doesn’t even begin to compare to the value of Christ. 

And my hope is that as we begin to realize what this means — that God gave us what he values most — that we’ll more clearly see the character of God. For in his giving of Jesus we see his love. We see his kindness and mercy. We see his generosity. 

So let’s look more closely at Paul’s question. We’ll do so by reflecting on the death of Christ and what it means that God is the giver of all things.

THE DEATH OF CHRIST

Let’s begin with the death of Christ. Paul writes, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all…” (Romans 8:32a ESV)

Now imagine what our response would’ve been if Paul had just asked, “Will God not graciously give us all things?” Think of how you’d have responded if Paul hadn’t included the part about God giving us Jesus. As one person has said, “Well, we need many things, some of which are difficult and demanding. How can we possibly be sure that God will supply what we need?” This is inevitably what we would’ve thought if Paul had left out the great truth that God gave us Jesus.

Well — good news for us — Paul didn’t just ask, “Will God not graciously give us all things.” He first made sure to highlight what God has already given us — Jesus Christ. And this makes the obvious answer — to Paul’s rhetorical question — “Of course God will supply all of our needs — surely he will graciously give us all things. Why? Because he’s given us his Son.” 

What Paul’s doing is a fairly common argument where you go from something greater to something lesser — he starts with something more valuable and goes to something less valuable. Paul’s wanting to prove to us the generosity of God and he could’ve started with something seemingly small and insignificant — say like the breath you just inhaled and exhaled. 

“If God just gave you that breath, why don’t you trust that he’ll give you all that you need?” But you’d probably be like, “But that was just a breath. I do like sixteen of those a minute every minute of my life.” Pointing to a breath isn’t a very compelling argument. 

So — instead of starting with something seemingly insignificant — Paul starts with the greatest act of generosity that God could ever do for us — he starts with God sending Jesus to live and die for us — and with his resurrection — defeat our enemies of Satan, sin, death, and Hell. God did all of this in giving Jesus on our behalf! 

So Paul starts with the greatest act of generosity God could ever do for us and then he says, “If God’s already done the greatest act of generosity he could possibly do for you — he gave you what he valued most in the giving of his Son — why would you have any reason to doubt God giving you something less valuable than his Son?”

Or — to put it a different way — as someone has said, “If God is willing to hand over his beloved Son (a hard thing), he must surely be willing to give us all things (an easy thing).

But — you may wonder — “Why does Christ’s death have to be the proof that God loves us and will graciously give us all things? Couldn’t some other gift have communicated his love and commitment to us?” It’s a legitimate question to consider as there are many ways to demonstrate love. So why is the giving of Jesus — and particularly the death of Jesus — the greatest expression of God’s love for us? Because the death of Christ not only demonstrates God’s love for us, but Christ’s death was necessary for us to be made right with God because of our sin. Only a perfect, sinless death could atone for our sin against God. 

So not only does Christ’s death show us the extent of God’s love for us — it’s also the means by which God reconciles us sinners to himself. Christ’s death is the means by which we escape the punishment we deserve for our sins — for Christ took our punishment upon himself on the cross. But the cross isn’t just a symbol of God’s wrath and hatred towards sin — it’s also a sign of his love for those who would be saved through the death of his Son. 

For — on the cross — we don’t just have God telling us he loves us — we have God showing us he loves us. And how does he love us? 

He gave up what was most valuable to him — his Son — so that our sin would be paid for in full and we would be brought back into a right relationship with him. 

As one writer has said, “Such is the character of the love of our great God and King. It spares no expense, and it leaves no detail unattended to.” God’s love for us spared no expense — he didn’t spare what he valued most — for his Son is most valuable to him — he gave up what he valued most — Jesus — in love for us.

Specifically — though — what did Christ’s death accomplish for us? Get ready to dive deep into some theologically wonderful truths.

Christ’s death accomplished our expiation — the removal of our guilt and sin. On the cross, Christ removed our guilt and sin. As John the Baptist said about Jesus, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NLT)

Christ’s death accomplished our propitiation — the removal of God’s wrath. On the cross — as he died in our place — Christ removed the wrath of God we rightly deserved for our sin and rebellion. But — and this is jaw dropping — not only did Christ remove God’s wrath from us, but — in dying for us — he replaced God’s wrath with God’s favor. Jesus only knew God’s favor since before time began — but in love — he experienced God’s wrath for us — and now we’re covered and surrounded by the favor of God. The apostle Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25a ESV)

And John tells us, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10 ESV)

Christ’s death accomplished our reconciliation — this is the removal of our separation from God. Our sin made us unholy. And God — in being holy — cannot be in the presence of sin and unholiness. Thus we were in need of reconciliation. And “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…” (Romans 5:10b ESV)

Christ’s death accomplished our redemption — this is our being set free from our enslavement to sin. We’ve been delivered from our captivity to sin through the death of Christ. 

Paul writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” — 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14 ESV)

Notice — again — how it’s not just the removal of the curse — that we’ve been given through the death of Christ — we’ve also been given the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit. 

Finally, Christ’s death accomplished our victory of the powers of darkness. Christ defeated Satan on the cross. Paul tells us, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13-15 ESV)

Christ accomplished all of this — on our behalf — on the cross — by dying in our place as our substitute. Though we deserve to die — to pay the penalty for our sins in Hell forever — Christ paid the penalty on our behalf. If anyone ever asks you, “Why was it necessary for Christ..to die?” A simple response is, “Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and [to] bring us back to God.”

And this is just a small taste of some of the big things Christ accomplished when he died on the cross on our behalf. 

As someone has said, “If you just get the big things straightened out, you will have what you need in the little things. What everyone in the world is obsessed with, God makes a distant second. He’ll give you what you need to live on if you need him in order to live.” Once you realize what you’ve been given — in God giving you his Son — you’ll see that you’ve already been given what God values most. 

GOD THE GIVER OF ALL THINGS

Which leads us to God — who is the giver — and the “all things” he has guaranteed to give us. Back to verse thirty-two. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 ESV)

Let’s talk about our God who is a wonderfully generous giver. 

From the very beginning of time, being a generous giver has been a characteristic we see of God. 

On the sixth day of creation — to Adam and Eve — “God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground — everything that has life.” And that is what happened.” (Genesis 1:29a-30 NLT)

God — at the end of his creating — tells Adam and Eve, “All that I have created I give to you. Be good stewards of my creation. Take care of it. It is yours.” How unbelievably generous of God, right? 

But you know what happens two chapters later, don’t you? Sin enters the world because Adam and Eve were not content with the “all things” that God had given to them. Sometimes, God gives us it all — and it’s not enough. Which should cause us to pause when we start to blame God for not giving us something we think we need or deserve.

Twice — the younger brother of Jesus — writes about the generosity of God. James writes, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5 NLT)

If you lack wisdom — James says — ask God — who is generous — and he will give you the wisdom you need.

Later James tells us this. “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” (James 1:17-18 NLT)

James says that everything that’s good and perfect is a gift from God — including — our spiritual birth — what theologians call our regeneration — being born again. And this comes from another generous gift from God to us — his true Word — this book — the Bible. 

Every good gift is from God and — his Word to us — is at the top of the list of good things he’s given us. How do you view this book? Is it a gift from God you treasure or — like Adam and Eve — are you still waiting for a better gift from God to come along? A preacher from centuries ago once said, “God’s heart, not mine, is the measure of his giving; not my capacity to receive, but his capacity to give.” We must be careful when we place value on God’s gifts to us. He determines the value of the gifts. Our role is to joyfully receive them while knowing that Jesus is the most valued gift from God we’ll ever be given.

So the source of all gifts is God. And — this makes sense — when we realize that God owns all the resources in his creation — physical resources, spiritual resources — God owns it all and thus he’s free to be generous with it all.

In the book of Exodus, God says, “for all the earth belongs to me.” (Exodus 19:5b NLT)

Or take David’s words of praise. “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.” (1 Chronicles 29:10b-12 NLT)

Or his opening words in Psalm 24. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1 NLT)

And since “all the earth belongs to him” — “everything in the heavens and on the earth” — and because “he rules over everything” — God has the right to give away “all things” at his discretion. 

Now — the tension for us — is that our faith tells us that nothing can compare to what God has given to us in Christ. As Christians — we believe that Christ is God’s most highly valued gift. We say yes and amen. 

But then — if we’re honest — we kind of get a bit “ho hum” about the death of Christ — and all that it accomplished — which we looked at earlier — and get a little to focused on things we feel like we’re missing out on — things that belong to God — and yet we start to feel as if God’s being a bit stingy with these other things — these gifts we want and desire. Things that — even when God gives them to us — they can end up feeling like something less than what we were hoping for them to be. 

So why does this happen? Because we’re looking to get more out of these other gifts than we are in the gift of his Son. 

And — the somewhat hard biblical truth is — I say hard — but it should also comfort us — but the biblical truth is: If God hasn’t given us something — one of these “all things” gifts — well — the reason we haven’t been given the gift is because we don’t need it. And I want to say again — I know that this can be terribly hard because many of these “all things” gifts we desire aren’t bad things. Maybe it’s the healing of someone you love. Or a job. Or for a spouse. Or to get pregnant. 

So please don’t hear me saying that these desires are wicked or evil. But if we remember that God did not spare his Son for us — God didn’t hold back his greatest gift to us — he didn’t hold back his most valued treasure — then surely we can trust that — if he’s given us his Son — he’s already given us the only gift we need. Surely we can trust that God is good and generous and kind — and his goodness and generosity and kindness is just as present in what he doesn’t give us as it is in what he has given us in Christ. 

CONCLUSION

But even more than thinking of specific gifts — I think — the “all things” is meant to bring us back to verse 28 of this chapter. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV)

The “all things” — that God graciously gives to us — more than specific gifts — is his sovereign work in our lives. The great promise that — everything in our life is being used by God for one purpose — for our good. 

This is an incredibly gracious gift to us from God. A gift to us — made possible — through the death of his Son. For Christ’s death is the means by which all things are working together for the eternal good of the people of God.

The death of Christ is proof of God’s generosity towards his people. There’s no greater or more valuable gift God could’ve given you or me than his Son. Have you received this gift — the most extravagant gift — God will ever offer to you? And if you have received the gift of Christ, always remember that, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us what you value most in giving us your Son. Father, we ask for your forgiveness for when we’ve downplayed the worth of the gift of Christ and have longed for other — less valuable — gifts. 

Jesus, thank you for not sparing your life — but giving your life for our sake. We’ve seen some of the blessings that are ours through your death. 

We’ve been cleansed of our sins. We’ve escaped the wrath of God. We’ve been set free from our enslavement to sin. We’ve been reconciled to God. Our victory over the enemy is guaranteed. What shall we say about things as wonderful as these?

And, Holy Spirit, elevate — in our hearts and minds — the treasure that is ours in Christ. Every day of our lives may we be in awe of the generosity of our God. Help us to trust that we have all we need in Christ and to be thankful for when we receive gifts from you in addition to the gift we have in Christ. May you draw many to Christ today who will receive the gift of life that he’s offering to them through his life, death, and resurrection. And may we all rejoice because of the goodness, kindness, and generosity of our God. We pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go trusting that he who did not spare his own Son — but gave him up for you — that this same generous God will graciously give you all that you need. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:19-24

‌DATE: 1-14-24

‌As always it’s a joy to be with all of you for this evening communion service. And — though you’ve heard this from me once today — I want you to know — and it’s good to say this with our North Main Campus folks present — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

‌SERIES INTRO

‌We’re continuing our vision series tonight. As I mentioned this morning —Matt Heft — one of our elders — kicked off this vision series last week by introducing you to our new mission statement. All of this started about a year ago — when I and the elders began a conversation about God’s vision for Gateway Church. And — this new vision — resulted in the elders taking a look at our mission statement and realizing that it was time for an update — as new vision requires a mission statement that uses complementary language. 

‌Now — as I mentioned this morning — what I’m about to say is so important that I’m going to repeat it in each sermon of this series. And I hope this will become so familiar to you that you’ll be able to explain it to someone else. And here’s the graphic you’re going to become familiar with. These four columns represent the key components that drive the life, ministry, and direction of a local church. The first component is the pastor. The second component are its key leaders. The third component of a church is its discipleship process. And the fourth component describes the kind of disciples we hope all of us are becoming here at Gateway.

So component one — the pastor — that’s me. The Bible has a lot to say about the qualifications, characteristics, and calling of a pastor. From the characteristics of a pastor found in First Timothy chapter 3 to the call to shepherd the flock as found in First Peter chapter five. There’s the mandate to preach the Word — Second Timothy chapter four — as well as the pastor’s focus on prayer and the Word — as found in Acts chapter six. These are some examples of my role and responsibilities as your pastor.

‌The next component of a church are the other key leaders. This would include our elders, deacons, staff, and those who serve as Life Group leaders. These key leaders help the pastor move the church along in a certain direction — which leads us to the third component — our discipleship process. Here at Gateway this is our process of Worship, Connect, Serve, and Go — this is how we help you grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Worship is when we gather together to worship our God in a way that’s Gospel-Centered, done with excellence, and is contextual. We connect with each other in Life Groups to discuss how the Bible applies to our lives and care for one another. We serve each other — the people in our church family — in a variety of ways. And we go into the world by equipping, partnering with, and sending members to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

‌Are there other ministries we do? Of course. But Worship, Connect, Serve, and Go is our primary way of making disciples here at Gateway.

Now — this series is focused on our vision as a church — and this is where the fourth component comes in — the column labeled “disciple.” In the past, we’ve focused so much on what we want you to do to grow in your faith — our discipleship process — that we failed to clearly communicate to you who we’re wanting you to become. Meaning, “what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus here at Gateway?”

You’ve caught glimpses of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus through my preaching, the podcast, our conversations with leaders, and so on — but because this component hasn’t been clearly defined — like the other three — there’s been some confusion. And this is what I and the elders want to make clear so we all move forward growing as disciples of Jesus together with a unified vision of what we mean by the word “disciple.”

‌And our vision — our spiritual goal for every follower of Jesus here at Gateway — is that we’d be disciples…

‌1. Who are…Word and Spirit Christians.

‌2. Who are…generous.

‌3. Who are…family.

‌4. Who are…disciples who make disciples.

‌5. And who are Kingdom-minded.

And — in this series — we’re devoting one sermon to each of these characteristics to give even greater clarity as to the kinds of disciples of Jesus that we all should be aiming to become together. And — tonight — we’re going to look at what it means to be generous.

‌INTRODUCTION

‌Being generous is something I especially love about Gateway. Whether it be our Christmas Eve offerings or how much of our church budget goes to missions — and specifically to the least reached people groups around the world — being generous — especially with our resources — is the kind of disciples we’re desiring to make here at Gateway.

Now — as we talk about being generous — and — yes — that means we’re going to talk about money — and if you’re not a Christian — one — know that this isn’t a topic I bring up all the time — and two — I have zero expectation that you give anything to this church — but three — money is an important part of our lives and it’s an important part of being a disciple of Jesus — so we’re going to look at a warning, a holy obligation, and a promise in regards to money and being a generous people. A warning. A holy obligation. And a promise. Let’s look at each of these starting with a warning.

‌‌A WARNING

In the gospel of Matthew — and just three verses after teaching his disciples how to pray — what’s known as the Lord’s Prayer — Jesus said this.

Matthew 6:19–24 (ESV)

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

So here’s the warning. Jesus warns us of a dangerous self-deception — a self-deception none of us are immune to when it comes to treasures here on earth — to wealth — to money. It’s found in verse twenty-four.

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

No one. That’s all inclusive — we’re all implied — none of us — no matter how special you think you are — none of us are an exception to this statement. No one can serve two masters. 

Now — the word that’s translated as master — is the word often translated as lord in the New Testament. It’s the same word used in Scripture — for example — in the phrase “Jesus is Lord.” And no one — Jesus says — can serve two lords. Either Jesus is your Lord or he isn’t — but he won’t share this role in your life with anything or anyone else. And he tells us why. 

Someone who tries to live with two masters — two lords — with Jesus and something else as their lord — that person — Jesus says — will end up hating one lord and loving the other. You’ll devote yourself to one and not the other. 

You’ll say Jesus is Lord but that other lord will demand your allegiance and will demand that you abandon Christ’s authority as Lord of your life. That’s what Jesus is saying — that’s the implication of his words. And these are his words — not mine — so keep that in mind as we talk about money and wealth and generosity. 

I bring this up because Jesus ends his lesson on lordship by saying, “You can’t serve God and money.” And that means — money is one of those lords trying to oust Jesus from his role as Lord of your life. And rarely does a person take this warning seriously enough — for money is a luring and deceptive lord.

Then there’s James — Jesus’ younger brother — who wrote this — and I can’t help but think he had his older brother’s words in mind.

James 1:9–18 (NET)

⁹ Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position.¹⁰ But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow.¹¹ For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away. ¹² Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. ¹⁵ Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. ¹⁶ Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters.¹⁷ All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.¹⁸ By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

I find it interesting how James — in talking about riches — think money and wealth — that in talking about riches James brings up the root cause of temptation in our lives. How temptation comes from a luring desire that’s within us. And that luring desire — when it conceives — gives birth to sin. And that sin — once it’s matured — results in death. And then — as if to bring home his point about this specific kind of temptation — James turns our attention to our generous God — who is the giver of every perfect gift — including the gift of our salvation. 

His point is that our generosity is to imitate our generous God — a generosity that supports the message of truth — the gospel — going forth so that others might hear it, respond to it, and discover the new life that Jesus offers. Thus a way to test to see if you’ve fallen for the lure of riches — according to James — is to evaluate how your wealth — how your riches and money — are being invested in the message of truth going forth so that others might hear, respond, and find new life. And that’s something measurable. 

Here in the US we’re even given statements for tax purposes where we can literally see a total sum that equals our financial generosity in a given year. And — between the warnings of Jesus and James — we’re left to face the truth of which lord we love and which one we hate — both individually and as a congregation.

So that’s the warning.

‌A HOLY OBLIGATION

‌Now on to what I call our holy obligation. Everything we have is God’s. Everything you have is his — everything I have is his too. And that means that every dollar you have is on loan from him — and you’re to be a good steward of it. So everything that your purse or wallet or hip fanny pack represents — your wealth, income, finances — is all God’s — you’re just managing his riches. This is what Jesus teaches us in one of his parables when he said…

Matthew 25:14–30 (NLT)

¹⁴ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. ¹⁵ He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last — dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. ¹⁶ “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. ¹⁷ The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. ¹⁸ But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. ¹⁹ “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. ²⁰ The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ ²¹ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ ²² “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ ²³ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ ²⁴ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. ²⁵ I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ ²⁶ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, ²⁷ why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ ²⁸ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. ²⁹ To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. ³⁰ Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Now — in case it isn’t clear — none of us are the master in this parable — we’re the servants. And either we’re a servant who invests our master’s money in a way that benefits him or we’re unfaithful or — to use Jesus’ words — we’re useless. And notice what the unfaithful servant did with his master’s money: he returned every single penny he was responsible for. He didn’t cheat his master. He didn’t spend his master’s money on himself. He gave him back every single silver coin he was entrusted with — and for that — he was called unfaithful!

And — the reason why that’s scary to me — is because for many disciples of Jesus — simply giving him back what’s his would be an improvement to their generosity. Far too many Christians view God’s riches as their own to spend however they want on themselves. And what for many — would be an improvement — Jesus calls unfaithful — he calls useless — because his money wasn’t invested in a way for his benefit.

So what does this have to do with us being generous because this is getting all kinds of uncomfortable right now? 

Here’s why this is all very relevant and practical for you. The question isn’t, “Jesus, how much money am I supposed to give?” The real question is, “How much of your money, Jesus, do you want me to spend on me?”

When we realize that we’re not the owner of our finances — that we’re stewards of Someone else’s finances — the question we ask changes. And this is why I believe that we have a holy obligation to steward the resources that God has entrusted to us by using them for his Kingdom work — individually and as a church. 

From our dollars, to our buildings, to our staff, and everything in between — for God is the giver of every good gift and he wants us to invest his resources into the work he’s doing in the world. And — never forget — the master was pleased with the first two servants who invested his resources faithfully. And God will be pleased with us when we steward and invest his riches faithfully.

‌PROMISES TO A GENEROUS PEOPLE

‌And that leads us to some wonderful promises — promises given only to those who are generous. In Jesus’ parable we saw one of the promises. Those who are faithful will be entrusted with even more. What an amazing opportunity — to build trust with God so that he increases your responsibility with even more of his resources. And this isn’t some health, wealth, and prosperity teaching — because this is an increase — not for personal gain — but for greater investment in God’s work in the world.

As Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth…

2 Corinthians 9:6–15 (NLT)

⁶ Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” ⁸ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹ As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” ¹⁰ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. ¹¹ Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. ¹² So two good things will result from this ministry of giving — the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. ¹³ As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. ¹⁴ And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. ¹⁵ Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

Now many Christians are quick to focus on Paul’s words, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give” and think this gives them permission to either not give or to give sparingly. But we can’t ignore that these words are in the context of a discussion on giving generously! 

So — it’s not a stretch — to interpret Paul’s words as, “You must each decide in your heart how generous you’re going to give.” He does — after all — use the words generous, generously, and generosity six times in these verses. All that to say not giving isn’t an option — and not giving generously isn’t an option either. All while there being room for “generous giving” to not be locked down to a certain amount because God has entrusted each of us with different amounts of his riches.

But we’re supposed to be focusing on God’s generous promises to a generous people. The promise here is that — for those who give generously — God will generously provide all that they need. Additionally, he will produce a great harvest of generosity in his faithful stewards. And he’ll enrich you in every way so that you can be even more generous. And all of this will prove to others that you believe — and are obedient to — the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you see what Paul is saying? He’s saying that our generosity is one way the unbelieving world knows that we actually believe what we say we believe. 

Some final promises to those who are generous are found in Paul’s words to the pastor of a church in Ephesus. Paul tells Timothy…

1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NLT)

¹⁷ Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. ¹⁹ By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

Oh what expectations and what promises! Be rich in good works. Be generous to those in need. And be ready to share with others. In doing so you will be storing up treasure in Heaven.

Are you storing up treasures here on earth or in Heaven? Are the resources that God’s generously gifted to you being used to support his message of truth going forth? Is your trust in money — which is unreliable — or is your trust in God — and would your bank account agree?

I’m not saying this because I want your money or because Gateway needs your money — we’re doing fine financially because there are many among us who are generous, faithful stewards. But I’m sharing this because I love you too much to not warn you about the danger — not of money itself — but of the love of — and allegiance to — money as the lord of your life. There’s only room for one lord in your life and being generous is one way we spiritually fight for Jesus to be our one and only Lord — individually — and as a church.

Something I learned late last year — is that 34% of those who give to Gateway contribute 82% of the giving. Now let me clarify what I just said as I know that math isn’t everyone’s favorite subject. 

Of everyone who gives to Gateway — not everyone who attends, because not everyone who attends is a giver — but of all households who gave last year — 34% of the giving households contributed 82% of the total donations given. If you’re wondering — $5,001 — or a basic tithe on a household income of $50,000 — was the minimum to make it in the 34% group. 

So we’re not talking about households having to make incredible amounts of money by US standards. Even by our local community standards, $50,000 is below the median household income for Hancock County as of the last census. But I thought it was important for you to know that there’s a core group of generous givers to this church and — if you’re part of this group — thank you for your faithfulness to Christ’s ministry here at Gateway.

Now I’m thankful for the remaining two-thirds of our giving households — you’ve given something. And for some of you — you’re being faithful. You’re on a fixed income — or you have a stack of medical bills that you’re taking care of — or some other situation — but you’re giving and doing so faithfully. Well done! 

For others — though — you’re giving, but you’re not being faithful. Maybe you’re getting your finances in order — trying to pay down credit card bills — and generosity is your goal — but right now — all you could do was start giving. Good for you. 

Others — though — gave so little — or didn’t give at all — because money — and not Jesus — is your lord. And the fact that I’d even suggest so has made you angry and — do you want to know why you’re mad? Because I’ve insulted your god. And I love you too much to not say something with the hope that you’ll repent. For what you’ve been doing with God’s money is sinful — but you can begin today — of being a faithful, generous steward of the riches God has entrusted you with. 

And here’s what I wonder — I wonder what ministry we could be doing if we all grew in our generosity? What would our next generation programs look like if we were able to resource them beyond what we’re currently doing? How many more missionaries would we be supporting — both locally and abroad? How many more mouths would be fed, orphans cared for, and churches started? 

Can you even imagine what God could do through us if we strove to be a more generous congregation — more faithful stewards of the riches he’s entrusted us to invest in his work until he returns?

Theologian Leon Morris has said, “Worship that costs us nothing is worth precisely what it costs.” What cost are we willing to pay so that others — both here and far — might worship the only Savior, Jesus Christ? Our desire for others to worship Jesus will be displayed in how generous of a people we are. And a generous people is our vision for the kind of disciples we’re all becoming here at Gateway. Let’s pray together.

‌PRAYER

‌Gracious Father, thank you for your generosity in our lives. Thank you for entrusting us to be stewards of your resources. Forgive us for often being unfaithful with what we’ve been entrusted with. We use your money on ourselves often without thinking of how you want us to invest your money. Forgive us of this sin. Thank you for your forgiveness.

Spirit of God, make your promises to a generous people real to us. All of our needs provided. Being enriched so we can be even more generous. You producing in us a harvest of generosity. All wonderful promises that are also proof that we believe the gospel — that we are disciples of Jesus.

And —Jesus — you have modeled for us what it means to be generous. You didn’t tithe your blood — you gave it all for our sins. You knew your life was not your own, but was to be lived according to the will of your Father in Heaven. You’ve shown us what it means to live a generous life and — having called us to be your disciples — you say, “Follow me. I’ve shown you what it means to be generous — now it’s your turn to show the world my generosity.” May our love for you — as the one and only Lord of our life — make us into a generous people. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

‌BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

If you believe in Jesus, may you go as his faithful servant — a generous disciple — who will one day hear him say, “Well done, faithful servant. Well done.” Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.