Now Here
Week three - Generous…Like Jesus
Philippians 2:1-11, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:1-11
Most love songs are actually lust songs.
Love is about
Three trait to counter three traps:
Integrity - barrier to
Humility - barrier to
Generosity - barrier to
Generosity is the barrier to selfishness and it is love in action.
You can be generous without love, but you can’t love without being
For God so loved the world that He gave…” —John 3:16
Whenever we give, we become more like Jesus.
- Jesus is inviting us to live our lives by a different story - a story of abundance
Still, Jesus knew people would take advantage of His generosity - didn’t stop Him…
“He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” v 8
Generosity is not something we
So what does that mean? What does generosity look like?
Giving time, energy, effort, possessions, money…
You don’t just become generous. You have to
Jon Acuff - “If you want a kind 16-year old, teach a 6-yr old kindness and then give them 10 years to practice.”
Same with generosity - if you want a generous
What is inconvenient for you, but helpful for someone else?
Is tithing required today? No
We don’t give because we have to, but because we get to, we want to, we live our lives by a different story.
Love as you have been loved. Be generous…like Jesus
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 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. 8 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 9:6-8
You are the recipients of other people’s sacrificial love.
We are all the recipients of Jesus’ sacrificial love.
We want to be generous…like Jesus.
We need to practice generosity. And I have a really great way for you to start… https://ashleyridgechurch.org/now-here/