Glorious Generosity! Reading: 1 Chronicles 29:1-20

Like David we need: 1. An Investing Heart 2. A Spiritual Heart 3. A Sacrificial Heart 4. A Confident Heart 5. A Joyful Heart 6. A Humble Heart 7. A Worshipful Heart

1. An Investing Heart (Generosity beyond ourselves) 17:10-12 “‘I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you: When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever...

David not only “served his own generation” (Acts 13:36), which every Christian should do, but he also served generations to come. He provided the materials to build the temple; he organized the temple ministry; and he even wrote songs for the temple singers.

1 Timothy tells us, "Give happily and always be ready to share whatever God has given you. By doing this you will be storing up real treasure for yourselves in heaven. It is the only safe investment for eternity."

2. A Spiritual Heart (Generosity to the glory of God) 17:23-24 “And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. 29:1 – “…the temple is not for man but for the Lord God.”

In whatever ways we can be generous let us not do it for our benefit but like David for the glory of God!

3. A Sacrificial Heart (Personal Generosity) 1 Chronicles 29:2-3 – “With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colours, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple…”

… “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 2 Samuel 24:24. This same spirit of sacrificial giving filled the early church as well… “For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will.” [NLT] 2 Cor. 8:3

4. A Confident Heart (Generosity into faithful hands) 29:8 – “Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. This was a well-known figure among the Levites who had been given responsibility for the temple. The people could see how their gifts were handled.

Similarly Paul describes the giving in the early church: 2 Cor Similarly Paul describes the giving in the early church: 2 Cor. 8:20-21 “By travelling together we will guard against any suspicion, for we are anxious that no one should find fault with the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honourable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to know we are honourable.” [NLT]

5. A Joyful Heart (Generosity only from the heart) 29:9 – “The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord”. Jesus said, "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving."

The word miserable comes from the root word "miser" The word miserable comes from the root word "miser". The more I hold on to what I’ve got, the more miserable I become. It’s the person who is generous in his lifestyle that is happy. Karl Menninger said, "Giving is a good criterion with regards to mental health. Generous people are rarely mentally ill.“ 2 Corinthians 9:7 says "God loves a cheerful giver." The closest word to the original Greek is the word ‘hilarious’.

In the New Testament time, they got excited when they had the offering In the New Testament time, they got excited when they had the offering. In many churches today the offering is the low point in the service. But it says they were hilarious when they gave. They were joyful givers because they wanted to be like Jesus.

6. A Humble Heart (Generosity as a steward and not a supplier) Giving is a part of living in covenant with God. It is restoring my relationship as “manager” of all the earth. (i.e. stewards, caretakers, etc.). The original mandate: God created human beings…he made them male and female…blessed them, and said, ‘…I am putting you in charge..’ ” Gen. 1:27-28 (GN).

29:10-16 – “David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name...”

And finally: 7. A Worshipful Heart (Generosity as a part of worship) Vs. 20 - “Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the Lord your God." So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.” We are generous because it is part of our worship to God. We are giving to God!