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My Generosity Manifesto · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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I have never met a person who exercised an act
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of kindness, who made a sacrifice financially,
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who saw a life change and then turned to me and
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said, you know, I'm just so tired of being a
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generous person. The fact is we all want to be
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more generous, but something gets in the way.
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How do we solve that? Stay with me. That's today.
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Hello, I'm Dave Drewy, and today on Living on
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the Edge, Chip Ingram shares what he calls his
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generosity manifesto, a declared written -down
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set of intentions about how he is going to live.
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And to get there, he takes us on a journey through
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the entire Bible, from Abel's offering in Genesis
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4 all the way to the tree of life in Revelation,
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tracing a single stunning thread, seeds. The
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message of the entire Bible, Chip argues, is
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about what you sow, what dies, and what grows.
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And once you see it, you cannot unsee it. Well,
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now here's Chip with his message titled, My Generosity
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Manifesto. I want to share with you how you can
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actually become extraordinarily kind and extraordinarily
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generous. In fact, on the front of your notes,
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I've actually decided I'm going to make it my
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manifesto. It doesn't have to be yours, but this
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is mine. This is before God, and so I'm going
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public with this. You'll notice what a manifesto
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is. It is a published verbal declaration of intentions,
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of your motives or your views on an issue. So
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it's public, right? I published it. And the real
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thing here is that, notice it says, to promote
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a new idea with prescribed notions for carrying
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out the changes. And I'm going to share with
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you a new idea for me. And the prescribed changes
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for my life. And I just have this sneaking feel
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that a lot of you are going to want to take the
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next step in generosity as well. Are you ready?
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Here's my manifesto. I want to be known in heaven
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and on earth as an extraordinarily kind and generous
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person. I want, I know this happens because I,
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you know, God says, have you considered my servant
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Job? I'm thinking that he does that about with
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you and some other people. I want him to say
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before I die, have you considered my servant
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Chip? He's extraordinarily kind and generous.
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I want my wife to say, my husband is extraordinarily
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kind and generous. I want my kids to say that.
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I want my neighbors to say that. I want the people
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who know me best to say that. I've been on a
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giving journey. In fact, this little green card
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I wrote down as I was learning about giving on
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the journey. And it's 1998. I wrote this to myself
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and I just read it over. I'd like to be more
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generous this year with my money and my time.
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And then in 2000, I rewrote it because I realized
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it wasn't my money and it wasn't my time. So
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I rewrote it and I said, I'd like to be more
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generous this year with the time that you have
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given me and with the money that you've entrusted
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to me. And so I just kept reading that over and
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it says 2001. That was our most generous year
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ever. It was wonderful and fun. And then I listed
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people that we gave some things to that was just
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awesome. So would you like to go on the journey?
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This is a journey that will radically change
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your heart. But wow, there'll be people's lives
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that forever and ever and ever and now will be
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completely different because you go and take
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the next step on the generosity journey. So open
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your notes. And as you open them there, you'll
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notice it says you can become an extraordinarily
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kind and generous person. I want you to just
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underline you because you're going to be tempted,
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some of you, to think maybe, you know, this Chip
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guy's been at this for a while. No, no, no. This
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is every single person you can become extraordinarily
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kind and generous. But you have to begin where
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you're at and take what I call baby steps on
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that journey. To do that, I have a picture I
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want to share. And there is a process I want
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you to follow. And then I kind of have a little,
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practice that the scripture teaches about how
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this all works the picture i want to share is
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this is henry grows up in a nice home dad and
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one of his brothers amazing athletes realizes
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he's not kind of in that category but he had
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this sort of knack he's an entrepreneur so he
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goes to college and wants to make a little money
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and so he decides he'll sell t -shirts but but
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think like t -shirts on 15 or 16 different campuses
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in america and he gets college kids you know
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Doing it. So then he realized, I have a little
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knack for business. And then Henry realized that,
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you know, maybe we should explore spiritual things.
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You know, I grew up with good morals. And so
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they go to a church and they go to a church a
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lot like this one. And they got shocked because
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the person actually opened the Bible and started
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talking about a relationship with God. And it
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was personal. And it was like, whoa. I mean,
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you know, I just thought you sort of checked
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the box, you know, go to church now and then.
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Well, as that happened. Henry realized he didn't
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have a relationship with God. He was just religious.
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And so he turned from his sin and he received
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Christ. And then he started praying and then
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started little by little, ups and downs, read
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the scriptures. And then he learned that God
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owns everything. Oh my gosh, for a business guy,
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that's like crazy. So in one way you show that,
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he said, okay, so I was taught, give the first
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10 % of your income to declare that God owns
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it. So he said, okay. So he did that. And then
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he started getting around some people, said,
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well, You know, it's not like a bill you pay.
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It's just, it's your heart that he wants. And
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so he started kind of giving a little bit more
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and be proportional and got excited about, we
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got to help this group and this group and that
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group and this person. And so then he starts
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this little business and he decides, you know,
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I'm going to do it completely different than
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I've ever done. We're going to do it by kingdom
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principles. I mean, I'm going to be generous
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to my employees. I mean, it's an amazing story.
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And God just went. And then he thought, you know,
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that's just one business. What if I could reproduce
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that? And out of that business, he started a
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venture capital firm called Sovereign Capital.
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Get it? Sovereign. And he invests not in Christian
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companies. He invests in Christians who are doing
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all kinds of companies, but they have to have
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a kingdom component that loves and cares and
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ministers and makes a difference in all kinds
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of people's lives. And so I declared, okay. I've
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been inspired by Henry's story. I've been inspired
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by what I've seen. I've been on a generosity
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journey. I'm going to the next level. And then
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I started studying and studying for this. And
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I saw something. This happens to you all, right?
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You've been studying the Bible, maybe some of
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you for years. At least I've been at it for a
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while. And I had a, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh
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my gosh, this idea of reproducing things in life.
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I've never seen this before. So are you ready?
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Get your notes out and get a pen. There's a process
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to follow, and what I saw was it's all about
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seeds. You could actually look from the beginning
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of the Bible to the end. It's about seeds, and
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all of life is about sowing and reaping. In fact,
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your whole life, my whole life, even the life
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of Jesus, it's about what you plant, what you
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cultivate, and then what you harvest. So I want
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you to think about, okay, how has the sovereign,
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all -knowing, all -powerful, mighty God of the
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universe You know, kind of what's his design?
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How has he created life to actually work? And
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the very first moment that we have any kind of
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life is in Genesis chapter 1. Genesis 1, verse
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11 and 12. This is the very first time God speaks.
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It's life. The land produced vegetation, plants
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bearing seed according to their kinds, and trees
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bearing fruit with seed in it according to their
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kinds. And God saw that it was good. Notice.
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The land produced vegetation. Then God said,
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let the land produce vegetation, seed bearing
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plants and trees on the land that bear fruit
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with seeds in it, according to their various
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kinds. And it was so. Now, I don't know about
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you, but let's pause for just a second. The God
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of the universe is speaking life into existence.
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The very first life is vegetation. Then he does
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the animals. Then he creates mankind. What's
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the deal with seeds? Have you ever seen this
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before? I didn't. Did you notice that verse?
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Seed, seed, seed. I mean, four or five times.
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Here's what I want you to get. In all creation,
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everything living is created with a seed. And
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everything created has the capacity and it's
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God's intention that it would not just grow,
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but reproduce. In other words, a seed goes into
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the ground and it gives new life. The Greek word
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for seed, are you ready for this one? Sperma.
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Can you figure that one out? Life. Sporos is
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the other word. So what I want to do, and this
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is nutty, but stay with me. I'm going to try
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and take you from the beginning of the Bible
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all the way to the end. And I just want to trace
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seeds and the impact. Because here's the deal.
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When you see this, all of a sudden you realize,
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oh, generosity. I'm going to be planting seeds,
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either good seed or bad seed. And the only kind
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of seeds that grow are the kind that die and
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go under the earth. And then they bear fruit.
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And oh, so this is what life is all about. You
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ready? What we learn in terms of creation is
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all life is created. And then there's a likeness
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that God wants. When he creates us, it was in
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his image. He wanted. People like us to rule
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this little earth the way he rules the universe,
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with kindness and goodness and perfect harmony.
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Well, then we learn seeds require a perfect environment.
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Things don't grow. Seeds can be everywhere, but
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they only grow if there's the right environment.
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And so, chapter 2, what do we get? God says there's
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water, there's sunlight. There's his presence.
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It's not quite right early, so we get man and
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woman. We've got community. And then there's
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choice. So everything that's needed for a human
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being to grow, to flourish, and to multiply,
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and be Christ -like, and to be loving, it's all
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there. And I want you to remember that seeds
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require the right environment in order to grow.
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Third, the choice is paradise is lost. And many
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of you know the story. There's temptation. There's
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failure. There's judgment. But there's a promise.
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If you're still in your Bible, look at verse
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15 of chapter 3. So there's failure. Sin enters
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the world. But notice what happens. The judgment
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is, I never saw this before. There'll be a war,
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or the word is enmity, between the seed of the
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woman, which is mankind, and... The seed of Satan.
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So all of a sudden, all of the Bible opens up
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and you realize the generations of mankind and
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the generations of evil, and there's this conflict
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of kingdoms. And then notice the promise. But
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he, this person, this Messiah that's going to
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come out of the seed of woman, is going to crush
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Satan. He does that in chapter 20 of Revelation,
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but his heel will be bruised. That happens when
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he died on the cross. So all I want you to get
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is our choices. determine our growth or our demise.
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Have you thought about that? Your choice. Where
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do you spend your time? What do you watch? What
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do you do with your money? Our choices, because
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all those things are seeds. Now we move on. The
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conflict begins, Genesis chapter 4, all the way
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through Revelation. And so, are you ready for
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this? The very first conflict happens. Someone
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comes to be generous, to give an offering. His
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name's Abel. His brother brings an offering.
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And for some reason, either his heart isn't right
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or he's not bringing the right stuff. And God
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says to Abel, great offering. It's from the heart.
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I love generosity because I'm generous. And he
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says to Cain, you know, that is not, that's not
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what I'm looking for. And then he sees in his
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heart and he goes, you know, sin's crouching
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at your door. Don't go there. But instead he
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kills him. And then what you find is all the
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next chapters are Cain's seed and violence and
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corruption versus good seed. And then you get
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to chapter six where God says, I'm sad that I
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ever made mankind. There's violence and murder
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everywhere. And so he chooses an individual,
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Noah. Are you ready for this? And the text says,
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and Noah and his seed. And so he takes a normal
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person and he's generous by building this ark.
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And God delivers. And then as soon as he's done,
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guess what he does the moment the water's done?
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He does a offering. Hmm, seeing a pattern here.
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Well, then one of his sons is bad seed and the
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other guys are going. And so you have all these
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things that go, go, go, go pretty soon. Now it's
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corruption and evil. Do you realize murder and
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all this stuff's been happening forever? There's
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bad seed in the heart of man apart from God.
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And so by chapter 12, here's the next person.
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There's this man named Abraham. So to Abraham
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and his seed, I will make a great nation and
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you'll bless every nation on the earth. By chapter
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15, Abraham has done what you have to do. He
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has to leave. And then he goes, Lord, I don't
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have the word literally. I don't have a seed.
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I have no heir. And God says, in your seed, I
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will bless all the nations just like the stars
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of the sky and like the sand of the seashore.
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And then you see, He asked him to make the ultimate
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offering. Are you seeing the pattern? Seed, good,
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bad, offering. So he takes Isaac in his willing.
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Well, then that would go to Moses. And the text
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says, you ready for this? The seed of Israel.
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So God takes a man. Now he takes a nation. And
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he says, I'm going to make this nation. I'm going
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to show this nation how life really works. So
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they would be a light. So people, everyone would
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see it. Well, they don't do so well. But all
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those five books that Moses writes are about
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what kind of offerings, thank offerings, guilt
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offerings, sin offerings built. And they're told,
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bring the first produce. God is teaching them.
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They don't do too well. This is a pattern like
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we struggle to. And then there's David. And he
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says to David, right? Saul is the good -looking
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guy who's proud, who gets involved in the occult.
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David is the little shepherd boy whose heart
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is in the right place. God exalts him. Now, he
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has his struggles. But then he says, out of your
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seed, the Messiah is going to come. And what's
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the last thing David does in his life? He takes
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all of his personal treasury and gives this huge
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gift to build a temple for. Worship. Are you
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seeing the pattern? Then Jesus comes and he fulfills
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all this prophecy and Jesus is the seed of the
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woman and he's fully God and fully man and he
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comes to the earth and what's he do? He demonstrates
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what does good seed look like? We got to turn
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this thing around. The whole world system is
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get, get, get, selfish, selfish, selfish. When
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I don't get my way, I get angry, I get jealous,
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I kill. It's the history of mankind. So Jesus
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intervenes because he's going to deliver. Moses
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delivered. Nehemiah delivered. Abraham delivered.
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Now Jesus is going to come and what's, do you
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remember what he said about himself? Unless a
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grain seed of wheat fall into the earth and die,
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it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, It
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brings forth much fruit. Look in your notes.
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1 Corinthians chapter 15. I'm not going to read
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it. But guess what Christ is called? The first
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fruits of the resurrection. He literally went
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into the earth like a seed into the darkness
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for three days. And then he rose again. And because
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he rose again, he defeated sin and Satan. And
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death. And we receive it. And guess what's the
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seed that comes into us? The living Holy Spirit
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of God in us believers. So that we would become
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like the original plan. Like our father. And
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guess what? Now we have the seeds of time. The
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seeds of talent. The seeds of money. And the
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seeds of opportunity. And so Jesus teaches his
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followers what? The kingdom of God is like a
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seed. Right? Like a mustard seed, it starts small,
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but then it grows and supports others. The kingdom
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of God is like a seed that's planted, and there's
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the tares and there's the wheat, and they grow
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up together. And then he says the seed is the
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word of God. And 1 Peter says that you're born
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again, not by the precious gold and silver, but
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by the imperishable word of God, the seed of
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the word of God. And so there's this group, and
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we're it. Believers all over the world. who the
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seed of God's word lives in, and the agenda is
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that it would grow. But here's the deal. What
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did Jesus model? Only dead seas grow. Until we
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die to ourself, take up our cross and follow
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him, then it's just us in our own energy. And
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then when you get to the very end, isn't it interesting?
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Jesus crushes Satan. He has a kingdom of people
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for himself. And what's the new heaven and the
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new earth look like? What was the whole goal
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anyway? Sowing, reaping, sowing, reaping, sowing,
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reaping, sowing, reaping. Jesus sows his own
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body and his life who for the joy set before
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him endured the cross. And there's a new heaven
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and there's a new earth and there's a throne.
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And this seems kind of familiar, doesn't it?
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Water of life coming out of the throne. And on
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either side, the tree of life and the tree of
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life bears fruit each month. Did you ever think
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about that? To bear fruit, there's still seeds.
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I've never seen any of that before. And then
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I began to see the teaching of Jesus. Then I
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began to see, wait a second, all those parables,
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all that stuff about the law of the harvest,
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all that stuff about, oh my, he was really trying
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to teach us God created life where there would
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be light and love and relationship. But it only
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happens when you plant good seed. And good seed
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that's cultivated in the right kind of environment.
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His word, fellowship, the kind of people, opportunity.
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And then he says, there's this battle going on
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in your heart, in my heart. And the only way
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to break it, the generosity is the way to stop
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the greed in my heart and yours. And it's how
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God begins to grow and cultivate transformation.
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Now, let me show you the principles. We see a
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process of seeds to follow from Genesis to Revelation.
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Now, here's a practice to start. You're already
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sowing every day. You sow words, you sow life,
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you sow time, you sow money, you sow into relationships.
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Now, what I want you to see, this is the absolute
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truth about what's going to happen with what
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you're currently sowing. And my appeal to you
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is first my appeal to me. I want to sow some
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different things so the day would come. I think
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God likes us to ask outlandish things. I want
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the day to come that someday in heaven, maybe
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I'll find out about it later, where God would
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really say, my servant Chip is extraordinarily
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kind and extraordinarily generous. Because I
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can tell you, if you interviewed my kids and
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my wife and some of my closest friends, they
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would say, you've got to get extraordinary out
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of there. He's making progress. But what would
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your mate, what would your roommate, what would
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your friends, what would your employer, what
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would people say about you? How kind are you?
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How generous are you? Well, here's the practices
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that will allow you and me to be extraordinarily
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kind and generous. Principle number one, we reap
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where we sow. Do not be deceived. Underline deceived.
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Money and possessions are powerful. God is not
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mocked. For whatever a man sows, this he'll also
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reap. For the one who sows to his flesh, the
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selfish side, the flesh reaps corruption. But
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the one who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit
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will reap eternal life. Are you ready? We reap
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where we sow. If all your time is at work, if
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all your time is at success, if all your time
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is income, if all your time is about you, it's
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the flesh. Now, do we need to have work and do
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lots of good things? But if it's selfish, if
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it's about you, me, mine, greed, hoarding. And
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here's the thing. I've never met just one person,
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actually. I've never met someone who goes, oh,
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I'm greedy. I'm materialistic. I've actually
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done this. I don't recommend it. But I got a
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clipboard and I pretended I was taking a survey
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and I went to a strip mall. And I walked around,
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and I said, excuse me, and they're kind of looking
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at me like weird. I said, no, no, no, no, this
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is a survey, but there's just one question, and
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it's just yes or no. Oh, they said, okay, here's
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the question. Would you consider yourself, and
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I had it real proper, would you consider yourself
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a generous person? Eight or nine out of ten,
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guess what the answer was? Yes. Well, you can't
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get more generous if you think you're generous,
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right? Look, if you ask their wife, their friends,
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their kids, their roommate, their employee, they
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would not say they're generous. That's why he
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says don't be deceived. In America, are you ready
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for this? We could interview Christians all over
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America, and I know, are you a generous person?
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They would say yes. And then I would say then,
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it's really amazing, because only 2 .5 % of all
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those who claim to follow Jesus even give the
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first portion of 10 % of their income. So in
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other words, our words and our thoughts and our
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intentions over here, God says, I won't be mocked.
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You're going to reap where you sow. Second principle
22:39
is that we reap how much we sow. So it's not
22:45
just wherever you sow, that's where you're going
22:46
to reap. If life is all about you, and by the
22:50
way, don't we all do this? I mean, don't give
22:53
me that, I feel guilty look. Would you stop talking?
22:55
I mean, I struggle with this. You struggle with
22:57
this. We're in this together. But we're going
22:59
to change. We can change by God's grace and power.
23:02
He says, we reap how much we sow. Now this I
23:05
say, he who sows sparingly will reap also sparingly,
23:08
and he who sows bountifully will reap also bountifully.
23:11
Each one must do just as he's purposed in his
23:13
heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for
23:17
God loves a cheerful giver. The context is, there
23:21
was a famine, and this is Gentile church, and
23:24
they were raising money to help really, really
23:25
poor people. And Paul's collecting it and it's
23:29
just a reminder. You can give a little or you
23:31
can give a lot, but the kingdom works like this.
23:33
If you have a hundred seeds and you plant it
23:36
in a box that's five by five, you're going to
23:38
get X amount of fruit. If you have a hundred
23:41
thousand seeds and you plant it in a box that's
23:44
five acres by five acres, you get a lot more.
23:47
So he's just reminding them. Whatever you sow
23:51
in whatever amount. If you're a little kind,
23:54
that's what you get back. If you're a little
23:56
generous, that's what you get back. If you have
23:58
harsh negative words, guess what? Where you sow,
24:01
that's what you get back. And how much? The third
24:06
principle, and this is the one, at least for
24:09
me, was like, oh, wow. Do I really believe this
24:12
or not? Kingdom sowing is counterintuitive. That's
24:16
a big word for it sounds really dumb when you
24:18
hear it. Right? I mean, he's going to say, the
24:22
kingdom works. Here's the world. And God's kingdom
24:25
principles are the opposite. So he's going to
24:28
say, do things that you're thinking. No, wait,
24:30
wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. That doesn't make,
24:32
that's illogical. Notice the wisest man in the
24:35
world in Proverbs 3, verse 9 and 10. Honor the
24:38
Lord from your wealth and from the first of all
24:43
your produce. And here's the promise. So your
24:47
barns will be filled with plenty and your vats
24:49
will overflow with new wine. I don't know about
24:51
you. I didn't grow up reading the Bible. Someone's
24:53
telling me, take the very first and the very
24:55
best of your work and give it to God to love
24:58
and help people. And God says, that's how your
25:00
barns are going to get. That doesn't make sense.
25:02
You give away and you get more. It's kingdom.
25:06
That's why your life becomes unexplainable. And
25:09
there's people all over the world. But they've
25:12
got this core. We're going to be generous. We're
25:15
going to build God's kingdom. We're going to
25:17
give out of our profits. We're going to give
25:19
our time. We're going to give to our employees.
25:22
And crazy stuff happens. He just keeps blessing.
25:25
There's one who scatters, Proverbs goes on to
25:27
say, chapter 11, and increases all the more.
25:30
That's illogical. Well, unless you look at it
25:33
literally, if you scattered more seed, a lot
25:35
more would grow up. And there's one who withholds
25:38
what is justly due, and it results only in want.
25:41
And we all know this by experience. The generous
25:44
man will be prosperous, and he who waters will
25:47
himself be watered. Pause for a moment. I know
25:51
I'm going fast. I want you to think of someone
25:54
that you know that's just winsome. You know,
25:58
everybody likes him at work, or everyone likes
26:00
him in the neighborhood, or it's a Christian,
26:02
maybe it's in one of your small groups, your
26:03
studies, and just ask yourself, what is it about
26:08
this person that's so magnetic? It's the person
26:13
that you sit down and talk and after an hour
26:14
you realize you talked for 45 minutes and they
26:17
listened for 45 minutes. It's the person that
26:20
you're just kind of hanging out with and, you
26:21
know, you weren't even making a big deal but
26:24
there was a little need over here and you get
26:25
a note the next week and the person met the need.
26:29
Generous people are super attractive. Generous
26:33
people have friends. Generous people have joy.
26:36
Generous people are like a magnet that we all
26:38
want to be around. But what we sort of forget
26:41
is they give. They have the same hours in the
26:47
day that we do. Many of them have less money.
26:51
In fact, all the research says poorer people
26:53
are far more generous than us rich people. Notice
26:57
the words of Jesus, give and it will be given
27:00
unto you. Counterintuitive. They'll pour back
27:02
into your lap. Well, how are they going to pour
27:05
back? Well, like good measure. pressed down,
27:07
shaken together, running over. It's a picture
27:09
in an agriculture society where, you know, someone's
27:12
giving you something and you shake it to make
27:13
more room. He says, God's not going to bless.
27:15
He's going to really bless. And whatever size
27:18
measuring you give, you get it in return. So
27:21
bring a cup of generosity, you'll get a cup of
27:23
generosity. Bring a bucket of generosity, get
27:25
a bucket of generosity. It's just a law of the
27:27
kingdom. Now, there's no give to get here, by
27:29
the way. That's a perversion. There's no like,
27:32
hey, I'm going to give away a lot because, okay,
27:34
now you owe me. Well, guess what? You've just
27:36
violated the spirit of it. It's not generosity.
27:39
That's manipulation. Final principle is we never
27:43
reap in the same season that we sow. This is
27:46
why it's hard. Okay, you're listening to me thinking,
27:49
man, I've got a bunch of debt and I'm supposed
27:51
to start giving. Or, okay, I give 1 .3 % or I'm
27:55
doing this or I'm doing that. And even the thought
27:57
of this. Now, I've seen God do it radically,
28:01
but when you begin to give, well, I'm going to
28:06
be kind to my wife. A new person's going to show
28:09
up at work. Don't expect the next day to get
28:11
a promotion. He says, don't lose heart in doing
28:16
good and do time. Underline, do time. It'll reap
28:20
if you don't grow weary. So then, what should
28:22
we do? While we still have the opportunity, let
28:25
us do good. Get this to all people. Circle all
28:28
people. We don't just love each other. All people.
28:31
Especially the people that they don't think you
28:33
care at all. The marginalized people. The people
28:37
whose politics or lifestyle or sexual orientation
28:40
is different. Do good to all people. That's what
28:43
Jesus did. But especially to the household of
28:46
the faith. The reason we continue in unhealthy,
28:51
unwise, selfish, greedy practices. And did you
28:57
hear we? All of us. is because the consequences
29:00
don't show up right away. I mean, if I sat down
29:04
to watch a good basketball game and ate, I mean,
29:07
this whole box of Triscuits with my super -duper
29:10
sharp cheddar cheese and my super diet Coke in
29:16
a moment of binging, and then if I got up and
29:19
walked into the bedroom and immediately two pounds
29:22
went around my waist, I think I could kick my
29:25
Triscuit addiction. But it doesn't work like
29:28
that. And more seriously, small neglects in my
29:32
marriage, small neglects in my investment in
29:35
renewing my mind, just a little pecking around
29:38
with some pornography here, just a little flirting
29:41
here. Nothing happened, right? Nothing happened.
29:44
A little obsession with work and not really spending
29:48
time that's knowing what's on your kid's heart.
29:50
Nothing happened. Everybody seems okay. 10 years,
29:54
12 years, 20 years. marriage falling apart, kids
30:00
disengaged. You know, it was just a little bit
30:02
of debt. It was just a little bit of neglect.
30:07
Ten years later. See, you never reap in the same
30:10
season that you sow. That's why it takes faith.
30:15
The goal, God's goal, is not to get some people
30:17
to come to meetings, church, listen to someone
30:20
talk, sing a couple songs, and be relatively
30:22
a little bit nicer and maybe a little bit more
30:24
moral than the world. That is not a Christian.
30:27
Those are some activities that Christians are
30:29
in. Following Jesus is the seed of the living
30:34
God, of the Holy Spirit, comes and takes residence
30:37
inside your body when you recognize your sin
30:39
and turn from it and ask God for forgiveness
30:41
and base it totally on what he did on the cross
30:44
and his resurrection. He actually enters your
30:46
life and he begins to develop and cultivate the
30:48
very character of Jesus in you as you get in
30:51
community and get in his word and talk to him
30:53
and become generous. This is, it actually says,
30:59
my generosity manifesto. So this is mine, all
31:03
right? It's in yours. And here's the question.
31:07
Do you want to be extraordinarily kind? And do
31:11
you want to be extraordinarily generous? If so,
31:13
you can, you know, check a box or two. And at
31:15
the very end, you know, you can do this and put
31:18
that somewhere. That's what I really want to
31:20
be. And God will start doing it. Or, I would
31:25
never say this out loud, if you would rather
31:28
choose to be a bit more selfish and a bit less
31:31
generous and be miserly, which usually ends up
31:33
in miserable, then I wouldn't do anything. I
31:36
mean, I really wouldn't. But there is, remember,
31:40
we're deceived. Money has the power to deceive.
31:45
We actually think we're doing okay. Your money.
31:50
It's probably the clearest x -ray or MRI of your
31:54
soul. And it's so clear and so measurable. That's
31:59
why Jesus talked about it. Because our money
32:01
and hearts are connected. So let me walk through.
32:04
Here's my manifesto. Whatever part you're willing
32:07
and ready, by the grace of God, here's an invitation.
32:10
I hereby declare by the following actions. I'm
32:13
inviting you to do that, that I believe it is,
32:16
as Jesus said, more blessed to give than to receive.
32:19
If you really believe it's more blessed to give
32:21
than to receive, that your life is better and
32:23
blessed in every way, relationally, friendships,
32:25
financially, well then, okay. Check number one,
32:28
I thereby declare that all that I have or ever
32:32
will have belongs to Christ. That was the turning
32:38
point for me. I mean, I remember coming to church.
32:41
I wasn't a Christian. Like, give 10 % of my money.
32:43
Are you people on drugs? I bet you're like those
32:45
people on TV just trying to rip me off. And I
32:48
met some real Christians and saw how they really
32:50
used it. And it's like, oh, it's not yours, Chip.
32:55
Oh, I guess it's not as hard to give back his
32:58
money to him or his time to him. Second, I hereby
33:02
declare to act in obedience to God's word by
33:04
giving back to God the first 10 % of what he's
33:07
blessed and entrusted to me. And you can hear
33:11
debates on tithing for today or whatever. It's
33:14
probably not worth going into. Long before there
33:17
was a law, Abraham gave 10 % to Melchizedek after
33:21
God richly blessed him with spoils, pre -incarnate
33:24
Christ. Moses, they gave 10 % of everything.
33:28
And if you add it all up, they gave like 23 %
33:30
of their income because they were living in a
33:32
theocracy. Part of it was kind of like tax, and
33:35
the other part was these things. involuntary
33:38
offerings. You keep moving, Jesus, his life,
33:41
the Pharisees of the day, boy, they tithe, but
33:45
they miss the heart. Mercy, justice, kindness.
33:49
He said, don't forsake the former, tithing, but
33:53
you got to get your heart right. Malachi would
33:55
just say, you know, the reason you're having
33:57
financial issues and relational issues and your
34:00
life has got, he talked about like you have a
34:03
purse with holes in it. In other words, you keep
34:05
putting stuff in and it keeps leaking. He said,
34:08
because you're robbing God. You declare it really
34:11
belongs to him by giving the first portion. For
34:13
some of you, man, that'd be a big step. You probably
34:17
have to rearrange your finances. And to do it
34:19
first and not know how it's going to work out,
34:21
that's faith. That was a hard one for me. But
34:25
I can look back and realize, wow. Third is I
34:28
hereby declare that Jesus' blessings, both financial
34:31
or otherwise, are not designed primarily to raise
34:34
my standard of living. but to raise my standard
34:37
of giving. See, when you're unconsciously greedy
34:41
and deceived, every time you get more money,
34:44
you get bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger.
34:46
You know, I used to drive this kind of car, now
34:47
this kind of car, this kind of car. I used to
34:49
make this much, so here's my house. Now this
34:51
is my house. Now here's my two houses. And we
34:54
just do it. Now, I think... God wants to raise
34:59
our standard of living. He's very, very gracious.
35:02
I live in a really great house. I have a really
35:03
nice car. But ask yourself, when do you say,
35:07
this is good? This is my standard. This is all
35:10
I want. This is where God wants me to live. And
35:13
you know, for some of you, that's a five -year
35:15
-old Volkswagen. For others, it's a Tesla. You
35:17
figure that out. You know, because of your roles
35:20
and your work and however, you figure out what
35:23
it is. But just, what if you said, When God brings
35:27
more in, maybe it's not for a second home. Maybe
35:30
it's not for a remodel. Maybe he actually gave
35:33
me some to help some refugees in Syria or some
35:36
clean water in Africa or some local ministry
35:39
right here. The next little box that I've checked
35:43
is I hereby declare to intentionally and aggressively
35:47
remove the shackles of personal debt that have
35:50
limited my giving, my going, and my peace. 40
35:54
to 50 % of all marriages that fail are traced
35:57
back to financial issues that cause tension.
36:01
Some of you, the next step is, okay, I'm going
36:05
to give this. There's certain things that are
36:08
appreciable. God bless us, right? I'm paying
36:10
for a house, but I actually pay a bunch off on
36:12
the principal every month. Your personal debt,
36:16
attack it. Go to a counselor. Cut up your credit
36:20
cards. There's plenty of good books about how
36:22
to do that. But here's the deal. When I pay everything
36:27
on time and I make minimum payments, I'm the
36:30
slave, the scripture says. Borrowers are the
36:33
slave to the lender. So if I have a card and
36:36
a lot of stuff, they're charging me 12, 13, 14%,
36:39
you're more than tithing. You're just not doing
36:41
it to God. It's called Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
36:46
You are, and you're paying that much more. We
36:49
better move quickly on that one. That was very
36:51
convicting for some of you. But here's the deal.
36:55
You can't be kind. You can't be kind. You can't
36:59
be generous. You got all this stuff on you. Attack
37:02
it aggressively. Declare. Manifesto. I'm going
37:06
to get out of debt. And I'm going to learn to
37:08
give along the way. Man, everyone I've met that's
37:11
ever done that, it's 18 months or two years or
37:13
three years. Who cares? Bam! You go for it. And
37:16
you go for it. Every one of these things are
37:21
to free you. The next box is, I hereby declare
37:28
that I'll prayerfully cap my lifestyle expenses
37:31
to become an extraordinarily generous person.
37:35
And this was something that I did not that long
37:39
ago. I grew up really pretty poor, and my wife
37:42
grew up pretty poor, and had four kids, and sometimes
37:46
two in college and two in private schools. Gosh,
37:51
I remember, like, we have $1 ,000 in savings.
37:53
We're doing really, really great, you know? And
37:55
that wasn't all that many years ago. But I made
38:00
some decisions, and one of them was to do pre
38:04
-decisions about generosity because your heart
38:06
is deceitful. So I had a guy that was a mentor,
38:09
and he said someone had asked me to write a book,
38:11
and I was on my first book. And he said, I want
38:14
to hire a professional financial planner for
38:17
you to help you with your finances. I said, I
38:19
don't need a financial planner. I got two kids
38:21
in college, two in this, two in that. This is
38:24
how much I make. This is what we're giving. I
38:26
don't have any money. I don't need a plan. He
38:28
goes, no, no, no, no, no, no. You need a plan.
38:31
He said, you need to decide in advance, Chip,
38:34
what you're going to do if God decides to bless
38:37
this. He said, do you want to be dependent on
38:39
like income from books? I said, no, but I'd like
38:41
to be able to pay for college education and some
38:43
stuff. He said, okay. So I got with this financial
38:46
planner. And basically this is, they tell pastors,
38:49
it's a Christian one. So look, if you fall morally,
38:53
you wreck your life, you wreck the church. Whatever
38:56
you have to do, don't do that. If you get arrogant
38:58
and full of yourself, you wreck your life, you
39:00
wreck the church. But the one you guys don't
39:02
think about is if your finances get out of line,
39:04
you wreck your life, you wreck the church. Why
39:07
don't you decide, I've worked these things out,
39:09
what should you give before you ever write the
39:12
first book? So I prayed about it. Talked with
39:14
Teresa. We don't want to be dependent on this.
39:16
So why don't we say in advance, this was really
39:18
easy, you know, at least half of anything that
39:22
comes in from any book, any time, we just give
39:24
to the Lord's Word. It was really pretty easy.
39:27
I gave half of nothing away. But that decision
39:31
in advance changed my world. And, you know, as
39:36
a result, Yes, I have a very comfortable lifestyle.
39:40
But then we said, anything living on the edge
39:42
goes to them. Here's our lifestyle. All of that
39:45
that comes in, we're going to give it all away.
39:48
And it's been, it's so exciting. I mean, we're
39:52
poor people. We grew up, I mean, poor people.
39:54
Like we couldn't pay the rent and stuff hardly.
39:56
And now to write a check for all these orphans
39:59
in Zimbabwe and to write a check to an institution.
40:03
The joy and the excitement and looking into people's
40:06
eyes. God wants that for you. This is not about
40:08
give your money, give your money. But cap your
40:12
lifestyle. And you cap it where he shows you.
40:14
You know, I'm going to limit myself to two houses,
40:17
okay? Great. Do whatever God shows you to do.
40:21
But at some point in time, draw a line. It's
40:25
really exciting. And then the last one here is
40:27
I hereby declare I'll volunteer my time and talent
40:30
X percent of my waking hours. I'd like to write
40:34
10 percent. And I'm being really gracious with
40:37
you. Are you ready for this? 168 hours in a week.
40:41
Hardly anyone sleeps eight hours, although we
40:43
should. So eight times seven, 56. Subtract that
40:46
out. Now we're down to 112. Let me give you some
40:50
time to eat. Take those 12 hours away. So you've
40:53
got 100 hours every week. Imagine. Are you ready?
40:56
Imagine. Imagine. Can you imagine if all of us
41:01
gave 10 hours a week? That's 10 % of our awakening
41:06
in the name of Jesus to love people. I mean,
41:11
you could volunteer in the church. You can volunteer
41:12
outside the church. Here's what I want to ask
41:16
you. Which of those boxes are you going to check?
41:18
And what's your next step? You grow into generosity.
41:23
Well, here's some specifics. First step, and
41:25
just do it for 90 days. If God doesn't show up,
41:28
don't do it anymore. But for 90 days, I commit
41:32
to take the first step in generosity by committing
41:34
to give, and you put a percentage in of my income
41:38
and my time weekly. Maybe you're saying, I don't
41:40
have much faith. This is all new to me. Dear
41:43
God, I have 2 .5 % faith. So that's what I'm
41:46
giving. Or 5 .7. Or 1 .3. Or 8 .9. I don't care
41:51
what it is. It's between you and God. There's
41:53
no number here. But what if all of us did something?
41:57
Half of all the people in America that are Christians
42:00
give nothing. Sounds really strong, but it's
42:05
true. But I think if I ask you, are you generous?
42:09
You know what? We don't make the connection.
42:11
You're not a bad person. But we don't get it.
42:16
Next step, as a follower of Christ, I commit
42:18
to generously and faithfully give 10 % of my
42:21
time weekly. I mean, there's probably lots of
42:25
you who know, this is what I really ought to
42:27
do. I intellectually believe that. But right
42:29
now, because of, I'm going to give some time
42:31
and, you know, I've got these kids in school
42:33
and I've got this here and things at work are
42:35
a little hard and I'm concerned about the future.
42:37
Guess what? None of those things ever change.
42:39
This is about faith. God, it all belongs to you.
42:43
You have told me, demonstrate that I really believe
42:45
that by giving first and foremost. Above and
42:48
beyond, I commit to joyfully growing my faith
42:50
and generosity by giving. Blank percent above
42:53
my current tithe of 10 % of my income in weekly
42:58
time. It's interesting that as our income and
43:02
things grow, I've met people that they've been
43:04
a Christian for 30 years. 30 years ago, I believe
43:08
in tithing. It all belongs to God. They gave
43:10
10%. 30 years later, I give 10%. How can that
43:16
be? How can our hearts not grow? How cannot we
43:20
see the opportunities? I can tell you what happens.
43:23
We get deceived. And so what happens is our lifestyle
43:26
grows, but our giving doesn't grow. You know,
43:29
like take a big risk. One percent this year.
43:32
I'm an 11 percenter this year. I met a guy that
43:37
literally supercharged my giving. He heard about
43:40
that. The year after he was married. And so he
43:43
decided, every year I'm married, I'm going to
43:45
give one more percent just to see if God shows
43:47
up. I met him when he was married 58 years. 58
43:53
and 10. He was giving 68 % of his income. And
43:56
then he turns to me and goes, you know, it's
43:57
really interesting. I was a private architect
43:59
and somehow things worked out and I ended up
44:01
kind of doing these shopping centers. I can look
44:06
back over. He talked like this. I can look back
44:08
over. He was really old. I can look back over
44:11
58 years, and I've never made less money this
44:17
year than the year before. It's amazing. God,
44:20
you invest in the great bank of heaven. Sorry,
44:25
Paul. That's a bad invitation. But what would
44:27
happen? What would happen if we did that? The
44:31
final one here is for those of you that everything
44:33
I'm talking about, you may even have the gift
44:36
of giving, and you're going, yeah, yeah, yeah,
44:37
rah, rah, rah, I believe that. You're giving
44:40
over and above. You're looking at a pretty big
44:41
percentage. Here's my word for some of us that
44:44
are kind of, we've been growing. Pause and just
44:47
ask about your motives. One of the dangers of
44:50
getting radically generous in your giving is
44:52
to begin to see numbers and, okay, I gave 29
44:55
% last year, but I gave 31 % this year. Like,
44:58
hey, God, hey, look at me. And just back away
45:02
and just ask, is there still joy? And then ask,
45:05
okay, Lord, have I justified myself? Is there
45:08
something really exciting you would put on my
45:10
heart? And would I do something crazy and radical
45:13
if you showed me? And just pray. Because this
45:17
is always about your heart. Although he was rich,
45:23
speaking of Jesus, he became poor. That we, through
45:27
his poverty, might become rich. The eyes of the
45:31
Lord go to and fro throughout the whole earth,
45:33
that he might strongly support those whose heart
45:37
is fully his. Lord, I've talked a lot about money.
45:43
I know you have people all across the spectrum.
45:46
You have some people that actually you don't
45:48
even want any of their money today. You want
45:50
them to say, could I receive something? Could
45:52
I? Could I receive forgiveness of my sins and
45:56
you come live inside of me and start a brand
45:58
new life and have all my sins behind me today?
46:02
Lord, that's your heart. And God, for all of
46:04
us, it's easy to say this, but it's so true.
46:08
You really, really, really neither need nor want
46:12
our money. But Jesus, you talked about it so
46:14
much because our heart is connected to it. My
46:19
heart's desire is that you tender, kind, gentle,
46:24
loving Holy Spirit would fill people with a level
46:27
of courage and faith that you would break the
46:31
power of darkness in their heart and in mine
46:34
and that every one of us would take at least
46:37
a baby step toward being more generous. Amen.
46:44
You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip
46:48
Ingram and a message titled My Generosity Manifesto.
46:52
It's from our series, The Jesus Revolution, Join
46:55
the Movement, which you can find and listen to
46:57
again anytime at livingontheedge .org. And Chip
47:01
has a closing word for us in just a moment. Don't
47:04
miss Chip's teaching Monday through Friday. Subscribe
47:07
to the Living on the Edge podcast or find the
47:10
Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast for his full -length
47:13
messages. Both are free wherever you listen to
47:15
your podcasts. Five declarations, each one is
47:19
simple on the surface and costly underneath.
47:22
I hereby declare that all I have belongs to Christ,
47:26
that Jesus' blessings are meant to raise my standard
47:29
of giving, not my standard of living, that I
47:32
will prayerfully cap my lifestyle. The story
47:36
of sitting with a financial planner before his
47:38
first book was ever published, making decisions
47:40
about money he didn't yet have, is the picture
47:43
of what it looks like to actually believe that
47:45
God owns it all. and to arrange your life accordingly
47:49
in advance. And one more thing before we go.
47:52
This week, Chip has a special book he wants you
47:54
to check out. Wise Son, Smart Son by Jack Alexander
47:58
is a beautifully crafted resource that shows
48:01
you not just what wisdom is, but how to actually
48:04
pursue it day by day. On our next program, Chip
48:07
sits down with Jack for a special interview to
48:10
close out our series, The Jesus Revolution, and
48:13
you'll want to hear it. You can get the book
48:15
right now at Wisesmart .com. That's Wisesmart
48:20
.com. Well, now here's Chip. If we were talking
48:23
across the table from one another, and you leaned
48:27
in and said, you know, Chip, all this stuff about
48:29
generosity, it's really a lot deeper than that,
48:32
isn't it? And I would say, yeah, it really is.
48:35
The greatest act of generosity was that God so
48:38
loved the world that he... gave generously his
48:42
son, the Lord Jesus, that whoever would believe,
48:45
actually would entrust themselves, would put
48:48
their faith in him and what he did, shouldn't
48:51
perish, but have everlasting life. And what I've
48:55
learned over the years is when I talk like this,
48:58
God has already prepared thousands and thousands
49:00
of people to hear what I'm about to say. And
49:04
that is that you can have your sins forgiven
49:06
today. that the generous God of the universe
49:10
wants to say to you, would you receive my son
49:14
as the sole and only means of a relationship
49:18
with an absolutely pure and holy God? What I
49:21
know is that right now you need to respond and
49:24
say, yes, Lord, I want that with all the implications.
49:28
And if you would bow your head if it's appropriate
49:31
or keep your eyes open if you're driving. And
49:34
just say in the depth of your soul and your heart
49:37
and your integrity, Oh God, I need you. Will
49:42
you forgive me right now for all that I've done?
49:45
I believe Christ died in my place. I believe
49:48
that he rose from the dead. And I'm asking you
49:52
on that basis alone to make me your son. Make
49:56
me your daughter. And what I want you to know
49:59
that God made that promise and as you receive
50:01
it in this moment by faith, You're his son. You're
50:05
his daughter. You're forgiven. Now today you
50:08
need to text or call the greatest Christian you
50:11
know and say, I'm not exactly sure what I did,
50:14
but I asked Christ to come into my life. And
50:17
then you need to go to our website, livingontheedge
50:19
.org. We don't want anything from you. We have
50:23
some resources to help new believers. And then
50:26
find a church that teaches the Bible this weekend
50:28
and start taking baby steps to grow in your relationship
50:32
with Christ. God bless you. Just go to livingontheedge
50:36
.org slash salvation. Well, I'm Dave Drewy inviting
50:40
you back next time when Chip Ingram concludes
50:42
our series called The Jesus Revolution right
50:45
here on Living on the Edge. Today's program is
50:52
produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.