Generosity

Knowing Jesus PART IV
Rev Aaron Bjerke
30 March 2014

Luke 12:13-21; 32-34
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or and arbiter between you?"  15Then he said to them, "Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."

16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.'

18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grains.  19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.'"

20"But God said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21"This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.

32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  33Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

CONTEXT OF GREED
--Rich man identifies himself with wealth.
--Greed can be found in the ordinary moments of our lives.

NATURE OF GREED
--v18-19
--Generosity is an issue of what your heart wants the most.

STEP AWAY FROM GREED
--Knowledge leads to habit transformation
--Adopt a bodily posture of what we're trying to be.
--God gave is his Son, so of course, he would take care of us.