Sermons on generosity
2 Chronicles 29-31
Hezekiah: “He Sought His God and Worked Wholeheartedly. And So He Prospered.” Introduction: Two weeks ago we examined the life of the worst of the kings of Judah. The Bible’s epitaph for Ahaz was, “In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful” (2 Chronicles 28:22). Thankfully the worst was succeeded by the best. Of all the kings of Judah and Israel since David himself, none had a heart for God like Ahaz’ son, Hezekiah. None was as faithful to his calling as a spiritual as well as…
Acts 4:36-5:11
Opposition from Within Introduction: On September 10, 1813, Naval Commander Oliver Hazard Perry dispatched a message to General William Henry Harrison, announcing his victory at the battle of Lake Erie. The message was short: “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” Some 150 years later Pogo paraphrased Perry, saying, “We have met the enemy and they are us.” Perry’s original version is applicable to chapter 4 of Acts, where we saw last week that the Apostles faced the opposition of the Jewish…
Acts 4:36-5:11
Money–Ungodly Ways of Giving It Please turn with me to the book of Acts 4 and let’s read together the Word of the Lord, beginning in verse 36. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he…
2 Corinthians 8:1-24
Generating a Spirit of Generosity I want to say a word about where I will be next Sunday and who our guest speaker is going to be. Some of you remember Carlton Harris, who served as our summer intern 25 years ago and who preached here 18 months ago. After 13 years of wonderful ministry in Cleveland, Carlton has been called to pastor the College Avenue Baptist Church in San Diego, one of the largest churches in the Baptist General Conference. He invited…
2 Cor. 9:1–15
Giving: What’s In It For Me? My sermon title today, “Giving: What’s In It For Me?”, is a bit facetious, but not entirely. You are probably thinking, “Isn’t giving supposed to be about the recipient, about meeting needs, and about serving God?” Yes, but the fact is the Bible speaks often, including in our text today, about the various benefits in a life of generosity–not only for the recipient, but also for the giver. We’re going to read the entire ninth chapter…
Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12
Satisfaction Sold Separately I’m not guilty of divulging any state secrets when I suggest that many Americans live as though their life verse were Ecclesiastes 10:19, where we read these rather startling words, “Money is the answer for everything.” That attitude is not only common in our culture; it is even common among Christians. Now it’s not my purpose this morning to wrestle with the interpretation of Eccl. 10:19, because Solomon’s actual view of riches, as revealed here in chapters 5 & 6, is far different. And that is…