Open Hearts, Open Hands
Deuteronomy 15:1-15 1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. 4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. 12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. 13 And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
Intro: God is a God who gives! God so loved the word that He gave…. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. God is very generous to us! And He can afford to be. He’s very rich! But He doesn’t just give us what comes easy. He has given sacrificially of Himself. The rest of John 3:16 tells how sacrificial His giving is. He gave it all!
-I’m planning to take a few weeks to talk about generosity and becoming more like our Father in heaven. God’s heart is open to us. Consequently, His hands are open to us as well. And He instructs His people all through the Bible to be generous, to give to the poor, to help those in need, and He warns us not to get too attached to wealth and the material things of this world. He calls us to learn to be content in whatever financial situation we are in. He commands us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first and foremost in our lives. When we do, all that we need will be available to us.
-As much as we think we need to live the American dream, let me just say that God’s dreams are a whole lot better! The American dream can be very short-sighted and self-serving. But a God-breathed dream will bring life and blessing to many, and a deep sense of fulfillment as we partner with Him! So, from these verses in Deut. 15, let’s see what we need to do to be a generous person before God.
1. Generous people deal with a selfish heart
Deuteronomy 15:9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
-Sometimes there seems to be a fine line between being stingy and being a good steward. But the bottom line here is this: If your primary concern is “What’s in it for me?” then it is possible that you have crossed over into the stingy zone. Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to base our giving on personal gain.
-Unfortunately, a number of people believe that it’s okay to do that (including several brill cream prophets). They will tell you that if you need $1000, then you should give them $100, and God will repay them 10-fold. But when the Bible says, “Give and it will be given to you,” it is not prescribing the motivation for giving, only the reward. If we only give to get, then we are ignoring other parts of the Bible that warn us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and that those who desire to be rich fall into a trap. And words that came right out of the mouth of Jesus: It is more blessed to give than to receive.
-So, if we are to be generous people who accurately reflect the heart of God, then we need to get past the selfishness of our own hearts. How do we do that? First, I’d ask God for forgiveness and for His help. If we are being selfish, we are sinning. V.9 shows that if we behave selfishly, we will be found guilty of sin. We all may have stories of how we got that way (getting burned by others, having to fight for everything we get, working hard to earn our way while others just sit around and collect). But no matter how you got there, if you’re living selfishly, then God says you are sinning.
-What’s amazing is that God will forgive us freely and help us change. Then we will need to begin taking steps of faith (which pleases God), and practice giving with no strings attached. Give expecting nothing in return. Maybe even do it anonymously so you won’t be doing it for recognition or even for a thank you. God wants to break the selfish spirit that can cloud over our hearts and make them closed and hard.
2. Generous people deal with a grieving heart
Deuteronomy 15:10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
-We struggle against selfishness before we give, but sometimes we struggle with grief after we give.
-(Illustration of needing/asking for $20. Explain: I gave it to him before service. Did it grieve him to give me that money? No, because it didn’t really belong to him. He was just holding onto it for me.)
-When we are grieved over what we give, it shows that we either don’t understand or don’t agree with the Biblical concept of ownership. God owns it all! He has entrusted us with His money and expects us to be good stewards with it. But if He says to give it to someone and we grieve the loss of it, then perhaps we are too attached to it.
3. Generous people develop a generous heart
Deuteronomy 15:14 Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
-Your heart follows your treasure. Matthew 6:19-21 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-As you learn to listen to what God is saying and you reach out to people in need to help them financially, realize that you are giving as unto the Lord. Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.
-A generous person recognizes that God is the source of whatever material blessings he or she has. Therefore, it shouldn’t be too hard to turn loose of it. 1 Corinthians 16:2 says to give as God has prospered you or blessed you.
-Again, the point is to give graciously, not skimping out of selfishness. This takes practice! Start practicing right away! God is far less impressed with how much you accumulate as with how much you give away for Him!
4. Generous people develop a grateful heart
Deuteronomy 15:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
-Remember what you came out of and be thankful to the God who saved you and redeemed you! Remember that you were a slave… to sin, to selfishness, to getting all you could get! And as you begin to practice generosity, do it as an expression of thanks for all God has done for you. It’s not that you’re trying to pay Him back or buy His favor. He already loves you because He is love! We cannot earn His favor through any amount of good works. However, a generous heart that honors Him is pleasing in His sight.
-So how’s your heart? Is it open and tender, or is it hard, calloused, and closed? Do you practice generosity, or just talk about it? How are you doing with the selfishness? Sin is rooted in selfishness, so we can’t let it remain! How about the grieving heart? Do you grieve after you give, wishing you had that money for something else? How’s your gratitude? Do you remember what God saved you from, and does that gratitude translate into generosity?
-You might wonder why we’re talking about money in church. One big reason is that Jesus talked about it more than any other single topic. How a person views money has a huge impact on the heart. It’s not about the money! It never is! It’s about the heart! Money can bring some of our heart issues to the surface so we can deal with them. Will you open your heart and surrender this area to God? Also, realize that an open heart before God cannot be expressed through a closed fist. As we open our hearts and our hands, God will open our lives to so many new possibilities! We can grow and come alive as we surrender ourselves to Him!
(Some thoughts and ideas borrowed from Robert Morris, The Blessed Life)
