Let us pray:
“Dear God,Youare Worthy of it all. God, please help us be people whose cup is filled and overflowing, and we are drinking from the saucer.
Jesus, we welcome You to speak in a powerful way this day.Change our minds, hearts, and souls so that we will be people who are overflowing with Your love to our family, community, and the world.Father,Youare a loving Father. We want to be like You.
Please help us give Your kindness and love so we may refresh the hearts of all people.We are transformed by You to bring Hope to the people.We love You, LORD. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.”
Generosity:Firstand foremost, God is a generous God. To follow the model of the Father is to be exceedingly generous.Generosity isessential to the heart ofChristand the mission of the Churchisgenerosity.
Today we arecontinuing in our teaching series onGenerosity,with the truthofGod and the Cheerful Giver.
Friends, I know what some of you may be thinking: Onno,another message ongiving.
But before any eyes start rolling, remember, generosity is not about God needing something from you,it’sabout him wanting something for you.
Our goal in this series is to see God’s generous heart lived through us.
Giving, like many aspects of the Christian life, is a journey.We begin at a particular point and progress over time.Some individuals may advance faster, while others require more time.
This sermon is notas muchabout our wallet; it is about our will. It is about the character of a Christlike disciple. To withhold generosity is to forgetwho we are as follower of Jesus.
Scripture: Please turn with me to 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8. The scripture will be on the screen.
We Give Because God Sows Bountifully – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Verse 6:Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Verse 7:Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Verse 8:And Godis able tobless you abundantly, so that in all thingsat all times, having all that you need, you will abound in everygood work.
In short, this passage teaches that generosity is an act of faith where we trust God to provide for us so that we can, in turn, be agents of His grace and provision for others.
Itprovides the essential theology for Christian generosity, moving from the principle of sowing to the promise of provision.The Word of God speaks it all.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we come before you now,atthis moment, asking you to meet us here. We invite the presence of your Holy Spirit to fill this place and to fill every heart gathered for this service.
May our minds be attentive to the divine truth you long to embed within us.
We confess that our hearts often growclosed, fearful, and hesitant, especially when it comes to giving. We worry about sufficiency and hold tightly to what is temporary.
We ask specificallythatyou would transform us into people of generosity in all areas of life:
- God, please help me/help us to be generous with our Faith: That we might boldly share the hope we have in Christ.
- Father, please help me/help us be generous with our Time and Talents: That we might willingly give our energy and skills to serve the church.
- Jesus, please help me/us be generous with our Treasures: That we might give freely and cheerfully.
- Lord, please help me/us give our touch. Help us to become friends to the friendless. Please help us in our relationships to others to convey the love of Christ to those to whom He assigned us. All people are important to the Lord.
Lord, start this transformation with me, the one offering this prayer. Give me a vision for thegenerouslife that reflects your own boundless giving. Remove all reluctance and replace it with the joy of a cheerful giver.
Father, please openourhearts to receive the truth that will leadusto this freedom. We commit this time to you, asking for your presence and power, for your glory,Amen.
Noreally, this is an awesome opportunity for me to unpack this passage for youand for me.
Godisn’tfocused on theamountof our generosity (see the widow’s mite) but on the quality of our generosity – He loves acheerfulgiver.
OurGenerosity is a Response to God’sgenerosity.
The Law of the Harvest (Verse 6):The first principle of generosity is that it is a response to God’s immense giving, not an act of self-sufficiency.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6
The Law of the Harvest: The Apostle Paul uses asimple farminganalogy:If you plant more seeds, you have more crops.It’sthat simple.
God is the Ultimate Sower, who provided His one and only Son.Our salvation is proof of God’s limitless, bountiful generosity. We are simply mirroring His nature.
A little bit later in Verse 8 it says: “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
God promises to makeall that is neededfor every good work.God providesnotso we can hoard, but so we can keep sowing.
Generosity is the Fruit of a Sanctified Heart.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
This verse describes the character ofaCheerful Giver.True generosity transforms the giver’s character. It is a fruit of holiness, connecting directly to theNazareneemphasis on entire sanctification.
The Greek word for “cheerful” ishilaros—we get the word hilarious from it!
God loves an excited, joyful giver. Reluctance proves the heart is still grasping its possessions; cheerfulness proves the heart trusts God completely.
The picture on the screen isofOpal Rush, a dear friend, who lived generosity.Taken in 1998shortly before I moved back home to Elkton, this photo features Earl, my mom, and Opal (right), who is remembered for famously paying off the Tampa Church of God building,which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020.
Generosity.That’sthe kind of heart my friend Opal Rush had.
Opal Rush is now in heaven, but her favorite saying still echoes with me27years later:”You can’t out-give God.”
Opal’sLegacyis thatof Generosity.She lived a life of generosity, all the way to her final days.
Opal, a beloved hairstylist by trade, loved to share how God had blessed her life, often linking those blessings directly to her commitment to giving.
Opal had a deep heart for the lost, especially the inner-city children near 22nd Street between Busch Boulevard and Fowlerin Tampa, Florida.
Shortly after her husband, Brother Rush (a barber), passed away, Opal made a monumental decision. She told me she was going to pay off the church mortgage entirely because she wanted the monthly payment to go directly toward missions.
I confess, I was young andtotally ignorantof the concept of such radical generosity. I asked Opal, “Why would you want to spend your money to pay the mortgage off? Where are you going to get that kind of moneyfrom?”
Opal was a dear soul whodidn’thave a lot anddidn’tlive above her means. I trulycouldn’tbelieve she had enough to clear the entire debt.
Yet, Opal withdrew her life savings and paid every dime to settle thechurchmortgage. She was ecstatic, knowing the burden was lifted and the funds would now flow straight into sharing the Gospel.
Generosity Brings Glory to God.
The Promise ofAbundance(Verse 8): Paulassures believers that their generosity will not leave them in need. God promises to make “all grace abound” to them.
The purpose of this abundant blessing is twofold:
- Personal Sufficiency: To ensure they always have “all that they need.”
- Missional Abundance: To enable them to “abound in every good work.”
This pointestablishesthe foundational truth that generosity is not an obligation, but a privileged response to the abundance of God.
God is the Ultimate Sower: The very first, greatest act of generosity was God sowing His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Hedidn’tsow “sparingly”; He gave His only Sonforyou and me, and thewhole world. Our salvation is proof of God’s limitless, bountiful generosity.
The Principle of Reciprocity (Not Reward): This concept of sowing and reaping is often misinterpreted as a financial guarantee:Give $100, get $1,000 back.Paul is teaching a spiritual principle ofincreaseandsufficiency.
C.S. Lewis said: “The only safe rule is to give more than you can spare.”
When you sowwitha generous spirit, that spirit is multiplied back to you. When you trust God with your resources, He promises to make “all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, in late September 2024, our community sprang into action.
Volunteers from the East Rock CampusandHarrisonburg Campus joined forces withCompassionChurch of the Nazarenein Lynchburgand traveled to Asheville to deliver vital aid.
The work on the ground was immediate and practical:
- Property Clearing: Clearing massive fallen trees from damaged properties.
- Essential Aid: Cash was donated for a food pantry to purchase necessities, and a large quantity of food was delivered directly to people in need.
- Repairs: Assisting with necessary electrical wiring repairs.
I encourage you to speak with some of theEast Rock Team members, such as Frank and Vickie Waldrop, Tim and Valerie Link, Lee Shifflett, Kenny Herring, and Bill Kingrea—about their powerful experiences.
They went to bless and help and came back feeling deeply blessed to be serving on the ground and making a difference for God’s glory.
This ministry often works closely with state and local recovery efforts, focusing on the essential human and spiritualelementof the crisis.
The response to these disastersdemonstratesthe regional aspect of our church’s generosity, ensuring that our Nazarene neighbors and communities near and far receive practical aid and the hope of Christ in their greatest moments of need.
In short, the 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 teaches that generosity is an act of faith where we trust God to provide for us so that we can, in turn, be agents of His grace and provision for others.
The rapid response efforts of the Church of the Nazarene are a key part of its larger Global Compassion Ministry, which is officially called Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM).
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) is the relief and development arm of the Church ofthe Nazarene. Its work includes:
- Emergency Relief/Disaster Response: This covers the “rapid response” aspect, addressing needs after natural or man-made disasters (sometimes referred to as Nazarene Disaster Response – NDR in the USA/Canada region).
- Holistic Child Development (including the Child Sponsorship program).
- Community Development and Social Transformation (addressing issues like poverty, hunger, health, and clean water).
The rapid response initiatives are howthe Nazarene Compassionate Ministries andlocal Nazarene churches provide immediate and long-term care in the face of crisis around the world.
Our engagement with human suffering is holistic. Most recently, our four campuses united for a powerful act of compassion by assembling Crisis Care Kits.
These kits are a practical,animmediate way our Nazarene DistrictRapidRelief Teamassistscommunities when crisis hits,showcasingthe generosity of the church.
Video.Let’swatch a shortNazarene Missions Promo:
The Response for me today and for everyone here istolive a life of generosity.
Friends, the call to generosity is a call to discipleship. It is an opportunity to prove the depth of our trust in the Bountiful Sower, Jesus Christ. We are not called to give out of compulsion, but out of cheerful conviction.
The true barrier to being a cheerful giver is not a lack of funds; it is a lack offaith—a place in our heart we still hold back from God.
“What does it mean to truly sowabundantly? I saw itlivedout in the generous heart of Opal Rush…”
As I leanedcloseand toldOpalthe story of the service, how the debt was finally gone and her gift realized—a miracle happened. Though physically paralyzed, she began to cry, then weep. The gift wasdone. The debt was gone.
That, my friends, is the harvest of sowing generously. Opal Rush, who gave more than she could spare, received a profound reward not in wealth or health, but inthe deepest form of blessing:the realization of her heart’s desire.
In a moment where she had nothing left to give, she was given the grace to know that her seed—her life-changing gift to God—hadaccomplishedits purpose.
The life of Opal Rush is a powerful testimony that proves the truth of the Scripture:You trulycan’tout-give God.Her generoussowingresulted in an emotional, spiritual reaping that no earthly compensation could ever touch.
Our Call to Action: SowGenerously.
Will you answer the Call?
Will you sow with the same generosity as Opal, confident that you will have all that is needed because God promises to make “all grace abound” to you?
Opal Rush’s life was a testament to the fact that when you invest in God’s kingdom, you always receive the greatest return. She gave all she had, and in doing so, she secured a legacy that is still blessing thechurch and funding missions today.
Herfinal, selfless act reminds us of two things:Generosityis not about abundance;it’sabout availability.
Opaldidn’thave excess wealth, but she gave her life savings to advance the Kingdom.
Every single gift haseternalimpact. Her desire was simple:to turna debt payment into a mission offering. That vision lives on.
I challenge you today:Lookpast the immediate. What small sacrifice can you make today that will result in an eternal impact?
Embrace the truth of Opal’sfamous saying:Do youtruly believethat youcan’tout-give God? Put that faithtothe test this week.
I want to be clear this morning,God is not calling you togive yourself intobankruptcy, but to blessing. He promises to pour back to you a “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, andrunningover.”
Trust Him todaywith the deepest, most guarded part of your life. He will provide the seed for thesower, and a harvest that brings glory to His name!
Paul’s words are a holy challenge: Isyourgiving a joyful response, or a reluctant duty?
Two ways you can respond today:
- Call to Surrender (Sanctification): If your giving is hesitant and reluctant, I invite you to ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify your finances. Ask God to free you from the worry, the fear, and the grasping that makes you a “sparing sower.”
- Call to Commitment (Partnership): If you’ve never committed to a purposeful, bountiful pattern of generosity—if you’ve been “sparing” where God calls you to be “bountiful”— today commit to being a faithful partner in the harvest, a true cheerful giver.
Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord,we invite You now toworka miracle of sanctification in our finances.Please free us from the bondage of “not enough.”
Lord, we thank You for the opportunity to be faithful partners in the great harvest.Wededicate ourselves toestablishinga habit of intentional generosity that honors You.
Father, great is Your faithfulness always.We love You Lord.In Jesus Name, Amen.