Seven - Generosity
March 27, 2022

Sacrificial Generosity

17b“‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’
20“‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these [commands] I have kept since I was a boy.’
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”
Mark 10:17b-21

His question indicates that he was thinking in terms of Jewish works of sacrifice and righteousness.

He wanted to do something to merit eternal life, whereas Jesus taught that eternal life is a gift to be received.

It’s a fair question for a person to ask. In fact, most of us from the church would love people to ask us that question.

For the believer, our eternal dwelling or the ultimate experience of joy and peace is our hope! And it is the desire of our heart for others whom we love to join us there.

21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:21-25

Jesus was getting to the heart of this man’s desire.

The defines the person

“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” Matthew 15:18

When life strangles us by our material wants and perceived needs, our greatest needs of Godly love and peace (God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven) are crowded out – MATERIAL THINGS BECOME IDOLS.

Having money has been a priority for the world in general, but understanding true poverty is the greatest remedy for “heart conditions” that hinder spiritual wealth.

Understanding true poverty brings great

Our greatest riches are not from this world, and neither is our greatest poverty.

The man wanted to be assured of heaven and was expecting to be given a method to achieve eternal life – or, to live forever.

26The disciples were even more amazed [at the answer Jesus gave him], and said to each other, “[If not by sacrifice and righteousness] Who then can be saved?”
27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:26-27

With God all are

Jesus only quoted the last six commandments, leaving the ones that identify mankind’s relationship with God. (See Exodus 20:3-8)

It’s interesting how Jesus’ life unveils the mysteries of God and ties all ten commandments into two. (See Matthew 22:35-40)

The impossible is possible with love

The church at Macedonia is an excellent example of making the impossible, possible. (See 2 Corinthians 8:1-5)

In the midst of SEVERE trial,

They first gave themselves to the Lord,
And, then, with overflowing


overcame extreme and
turned their minimal circumstances into rich
by giving to God’s ministry through the Apostle Paul.

And they exceeded the expectations of Paul and his companions in ministry!

The rich young man who approached Jesus didn’t understand POVERTY. In fact, it frightened him. Sacrificial Generosity was not an option he was willing to take.

Where do our lives cross these same thresholds?


What are our fears that are keeping us from sacrificial generosity?


Do we have too much “world” at stake to emulate God’s extreme, sacrificial generosity?

So far in our journey through the seven disciplines of faith:
We have been challenged to be in devotion to God daily – meditating on His word and desires for our life.

We have been given the tools to develop a heart-felt relationship with God through prayer.

We have discovered that our sins continue to tangle us up as we strive for maturity, and we need ongoing repentance before God our Father.

And we have been encouraged to come together to get to know each other, to develop ongoing relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ – stirring up one another toward love and good deeds.

This next step in our life toward a mature faith is to pursue a sacrificially generous heart before God and to His people.

This will be the faith step we’ll ever take

Because when we give until it hurts and continue until it hurts no more, we are challenging God by faith to be faithful to His promises.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:19-20

Paul had just thanked the Philippian church for their ongoing support and mentioned how God had used them, alone, to provide for their needs while on his missionary journey to Macedonia.

We could be that church that literally changes the course of life for people everywhere. Let’s do that, beginning now!