When You Give (2): “It’s All About the Heart” by Robert Morris
Do you struggle with selfishness before you give? And feelings of grief and sorrow afterward?
Giving is all about the heart! God desires that we give with a generous, joy-filled heart.
As I said in the previous post, the best series of messages I’ve heard on the subject of giving is The Blessed Life by Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church. It is Biblically balanced (not a give-to-get message), eye-opening, convicting … and inspiring! You cannot watch The Blessed Life and not become motivated and excited to give!
The video below is the first message of The Blessed Life series: “It’s All About the Heart”
Blessed Life, Sermon 1: It’s All About the Heart
Giving is all about the heart. Joy-filled giving is what God desires from us. Jesus said, “Give and it will be given back to you.” This principle of giving applies to all areas of our life. Genuine gratitude is powerful, and a heart of gratitude is vital for creating a lifestyle of generosity.
Key Scriptures: Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:30–38; Deuteronomy 15:7–10, 14–15
Sermon Outline
How do you develop a heart of generosity?
1. Deal with a selfish heart.
Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:9
“Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you” (Deut. 15:9, NKJV).
Selfishness is wickedness. Why do you think God created giving? Did He do it for Himself, to support His work? No. God did not create giving for His sake—He created it for your sake.
Robert Morris says:
Giving, more than any other activity that a believer does, works selfishness and greed out of our lives. (Tweet this)
This is why I don’t like much of the preaching I hear on giving, because it’s give-to-get—“give and you’ll get; give and you’ll get.” Let me tell you what that does. It actually works selfishness and greed back into your life.
And how do you think God feels? When a preacher preaches, “Give and you’ll get! Give and you’ll get!” and people say, “Well, I want to get. So I’m going to give.” I wonder if God thinks, “Well, this is great! All of my people are catching the revelation of getting.”
No, we need to catch the revelation of giving.
The Lord is concerned with our hearts. God does not bless giving, rather, He blesses giving from a right heart attitude. (Tweet this) It is true that when we give, we receive; however, that should not be our motivation for giving. We must deal with any selfishness in our hearts.
2. Deal with a grieving heart.
Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:10
“You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand” (Deut. 15:10, NKJV, emphasis added).
If you learn to give with the right heart, God will bless you in everything that you do. (Tweet this) We need to understand this is a heart issue. Selfishness attacks us before we give, and grief attacks us after we give.
We shouldn’t give and then grieve over that decision. If we realize that we are simply stewards, and everything belongs to the Lord anyway, we will have a correct perspective.
3. Develop a generous heart.
Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:14; Luke 6:30–36
“You shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him” (Deut. 15:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
God said He wants us to not just give but to be generous. The first time we are born in the natural, we are born selfish. When we are born again, we are born generous. God wants us to be generous like He is generous.
4. Develop a grateful heart.
Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:15
“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today” (Deut. 15:15, NKJV).
If we allow God to remind us every now and then that we were once slaves (Deuteronomy 15:15) and that everything we have is by His grace, it will help us to be grateful. All we have is the Lord’s, and we can be more generous when we are grateful.
Application
Treasure
When you have extra money, where does it usually go? If you were to look at all the places your money goes, what would it say about where your heart is?
Time
Where do you spend the most time? Are there areas of your life where you spend too much time? Are there important things in your life where you don’t give enough time (time with God, time with family, time investing in relationships)? If you were to look at where the time in your week goes, what would it say about your priorities?
Talent
What are the gifts and talents God has given you that you are grateful for. Now, how often are you using the gifts and talents God has given you? Are you using them to build God’s kingdom, are you using them for selfish reasons, or are you not using them at all? [1]
Tweetables
- Giving, more than any other activity that a believer does, works selfishness & greed out of our lives. ~ Robert Morris > Tweet
- God does not bless giving; rather, He blesses giving from a right heart attitude. > Tweet
- If you learn to give with the right heart, God will bless you in everything that you do. > Tweet
Questions:
- What is God saying to you through this message?
- Do you struggle with selfishness before you give or grief after you give?
- How does the way you spend your time, give of your treasure, and use your talents show where your heart is?
OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
- Giving God the First: When You Give (Part 1)
- When You Give (3): “What Test?” by Robert Morris
- When You Give (4): “The Principle of First” by Robert Morris
- When You Give (5): “Breaking the Spirit of Mammon”
- When You Give (6): “Am I Generous?”
- When You Give (7): Three Characteristics of an Extravagant Giver
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[1] Sermon outline, summary paragraphs, and application from Gateway Church.
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