The Heart of Generosity (Open Handed - Week 1)

Have you ever wondered what true treasure looks like in a world obsessed with earthly wealth? Through vivid storytelling and timeless wisdom, Tom shares how Jesus' teachings in Matthew 6 challenge us to radically rethink our priorities. Drawing from personal experiences and powerful illustrations—including a moving story of POW camp transformation through unexpected generosity—he reveals how choosing the right master, embracing generosity, and focusing on heavenly treasures can illuminate our path to authentic living. Whether you're wrestling with materialism or seeking deeper purpose, this message offers practical guidance for storing up what truly matters. Don't miss this compelling exploration of Jesus' counter-cultural call to eternal investment.

Transcript

Sa Good morning, church. It is so nice to see you. It is so nice to be home. Elsie and I are glad to be back. We miss seeing all of you.

It's nice to see familiar faces. It's nice to see new faces out there. And Sean, thank you so much for the invitation to come, for asking me to kick off this series, and for giving this wonderful passage of scripture to me to use for the sermon this morning. Matthew, Chapter six. So hope you're there all right, either on your phone or with.

With your Word or whatever you have with you. Early in 2019, Elsie and I toured Israel with a group from the church here. One of the stops was the Mount of Beatitudes, where traditionally Jesus gave the sermon on the mount. I mean, it was stirring to walk there, but I thought, oh, to have been here with Jesus. If I could go back in time, that would be one of the moments that I would choose to see his smile, to hear his laughter, and to sit at his feet soaking in the words of divine wisdom.

That would have been incredible. But until time travel becomes a reality, we at least have the words of his sermon. And our text comes this morning from six verses, sort of in the middle of the sermon, verses that are so familiar to you that you can probably gloss over them because you've either read them or heard them a lot of times. So I'm going to kind of ask you this morning to just let your mind go blank and listen as if you're hearing these words for the very first time. Matthew 6:19.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and vermin destroy, but where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Now, you know as well as I do that Jesus was a master at creating word pictures. And in these six verses, he presents three contrasts to convey important truths. Earthly treasure versus heavenly treasure, good eyes versus bad eyes, and a godly master versus a worldly master. So I want us to dig A little bit deeper and unpack these verses together. Because you see, I think.

I think that Jesus has reached the pinnacle of his Sermon on the Mount in this passage and he's driving home the main point. And if taken to heart, these words really can change how we live. And I'm going to take the three contrasts in reverse order because I think number three is really the heartbeat of the sermon. If we don't get this one right, nothing else in the Sermon on the Mount will matter. So here's the first one.

Choose your master wisely. Did you take note of those words? No one can serve two masters. Either you'll hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Now this is an incredible challenge. And folks, this isn't talking about us being fickle. You're like, oh, one day I'm going to serve this one, and one day I'm going to serve that one. No, this would be better understood in these words. No one can be a slave to two owners at the same time.

You're owned by only one master. I like the way the message words it. You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one God, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other.

You can't worship God and money both. And the word money here in my mind isn't the best translation. Money is far too narrow of a word for the meaning here. By the time that Jesus was doing his earthly ministry, this word had come to mean all the things in which we place our trust. In other words, this is a form of false worship.

Instead of trusting God, I trust in the things around me. Things like power, control, influence, enjoying the extravagant. Having enough wealth so that you don't need God because you're self sufficient. I need nothing. These are the attitudes and the things that replace God as our priority.

Got the picture? You see, my words, thoughts and actions can be guided by only one Lord. My loyalty can be rendered to only one Lord. My passion to serve can belong to only one Lord. My genuine worship can be presented to only one Lord.

We cannot serve both at the same time. One we must choose. And until we choose, the rest of the sermon means nothing. In the Old Testament, a man could choose to become another man's lifelong servant for a variety of reasons. But it was his choice, not the master's choice.

Exodus 21 reads like this. But the slave may declare, I love my master. I don't want to Go free. If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or the doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl.

An awl is a tool that was used to poke holes in leather. After that, the slave will serve his master for life. The Christian music group Glad sings the song Pierce My Ear, which is inspired by this passage. Pierce my ear, O Lord, my God, take me to your door this day I will serve no other God. Lord, I am here to stay, for you have paid the price for me.

With your blood you ransomed me. I will serve you eternally. Does that describe you this morning?

So why is verse 24 so vital? Because until I choose to make Jesus Lord of my life and surrender control of my life to him, I surrender all we just sang. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount is just empty words. Without Jesus, the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer and the Golden Rule don't mean a thing. Without Jesus.

I'm not gonna turn the other cheek. I'm not gonna walk the second mile and I'm not gonna love my enemies. Without Jesus, I could care less how the Father takes care of the flowers of the field and the birds of the air. And I really don't care how or why the wise man built his house on the rock. You see, until I get this one right, nothing else matters.

And our two choices are polar opposites. So let me ask you this morning, are you a lifelong sold out servant of Jesus Christ or are you clutching at and clinging to the thickness of this world? Is your ear pierced in loyalty to Jesus or is your heart pierced with an insatiable desire for more of this world? You cannot, you cannot worship two gods at the same time. We must choose.

Here's a second word. Picture the second contrast. Choose to be generous. Verses 22 and 23. The eye is the lamp of the body.

If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? Now let's be honest. At first glance, those verses sound just, just a bit odd, don't they?

I mean, I don't think of light coming in through my eyes to fill my whole body. Let me read the same passage from the Message again. Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty eyed in greed and distrust, your body Is a musty seller.

If you pull the blinds on your windows what a dark life you will have. Now I got to tell you, these verses took on new meaning for me back in June I had cataract surgery and wow, what a difference that I couldn't believe the difference. You know, one day you get one eye and the next day you get the other eye. And so on that first day I couldn't believe the before and after the the light nearly blinded my right eye. I mean, I could see things I hadn't been able to see for a long time.

I saw with a clarity and a beauty that hadn't been there. I mean, the light was fabulous. On the second day when my left eye was viewed or corrected, you know, it changed everything beforehand. This eye was bright. This eye saw things with a yellowish, dingy, gloomy kind of lens.

And suddenly when both eyes were corrected, I had more light coming into my life than I could remember. And this passage comes to mind as windows into my body. Here again is one of our Lord's powerful word pictures. He contrasts good eyes with bad eyes, healthy eyes with unhealthy eyes. Our view of life and others around us can either be clear or distorted or bright or dull, positive or negative.

And again, the choice is ours. And by the way, nobody forced me to have that surgery. I could have said no, but I would have lived blind to so much brightness and beauty if I hadn't had it done. So let me ask you, how's your spiritual vision this morning? Is it 2020?

Or is it dull, distorted, gloomy in your outlook on life? Because I'm convinced that only if we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior do we see life clearly. And there's so many things that can distort our godly view, but the main one is self centeredness. When I focus on me first, I don't see clearly and I miss how God wants me to live. What's more, there is a truth in these verses that we miss in our English translations.

Now, the NIV uses the word healthy eye and unhealthy eye, but the word healthy here is actually translated elsewhere in the Scriptures more frequently as generous. And the word unhealthy means reluctant or grudging.

I think Jesus is suggesting that there is nothing like generosity to give one Clear, undistorted perspectives on life. And folks, generosity is so much more than what we give. This isn't a sermon on giving, it's a message on the life changing spirit of what it means to be generous. Generous isn't. Well, it's an attitude that impacts our behavior, and we should be generous in every aspect of life.

And let's be honest, we like generous people, don't we? I do. Don't you? I mean, and here's why. Generosity encourages.

Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and you go to pay your bill and the server says, it's already been paid, somebody over there has paid your bill. How's that make you feel? I think free food's always better. I don't know about you, but it tastes better to me. There's just.

It sort of lifts your spirits, doesn't it? Wow. Somebody paid my bill for me. And there's an excitement about that. You walk out encouraged, but the person who did that walks out encouraged as well, because generosity thrills the heart.

It's fun to do something nice for somebody else. Be generous with your words of encouragement, because people today really need encouragement. Some time ago, I was pumping gas at one of our locals gas stations. And you know, when you're pumping on one side and somebody's pumping on the other side, it's just kind of an awkwardness, like being on the elevator and nobody says anything. And so I peeked around the pump and I just said, how you doing?

To the guy, and he looked over at me without a smile, and he says, I'm overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, but thanks for asking. Got in his car and drove off.

Now, I'm not often at a loss for words, but I didn't know what to say at that moment. But it sure was a reminder that people need encouraging words. Generosity heals, Dr. Carl Meninger wrote. He said generous people are rarely mentally ill people. I would suggest that generosity is a barometer of not only mental health, but emotional and spiritual health as well.

Generosity surprises. It's the unanticipated offer from a neighbor to generously share his time with that backyard project that you're struggling with. It's the unexpected visit of a friend who shows up at the door with a fresh baked apple pie to encourage you. It's the unforeseen check that shows up in your mailbox out of the blue because some generous individual wants to do something nice for you. And you're always surprised, but what a pleasant surprise.

So generosity surprises. And generosity. Generosity is contagious. One act of generosity will inspire others to be generous too. During World War II, Ernest Gordon was a prisoner of war in the brutal death house camp of Chiang Kai, Burma.

Not only were his captors ruthless, but his fellow prisoners were Also consumed with self centered greed. Each man in that prisoner of war camp cared only about himself. Goodness was absent. Kindness was dead. Gordon, who was not a Christian, could sense that death was near.

His body was giving out and he was ready to accept the inevitable and and leave that place through death. Then one day, two new prisoners, captives were thrust into their midst. There was something different about these guys. They were generous with the other prisoners. They shared their meager meals.

They started taking care of the sick prisoners. They washed the wounds of the injured. They spent more time helping others than helping themselves. They were generous with words of encouragement, shared food, and with hope. Hope and such generosity became contagious because of their care.

With Gordon, his wounds began to heal. He slowly began to regain strength. And when he recovered, he joined them in their efforts to do and make changes in the prisoners of that camp. And then it caught on with the other prisoners who began to share. And soon the entire camp was transformed.

The two new prisoners started a worship service and Bible studies. Ernest Gordon's life was saved because of the generosity of these two men. And Ernest Gordon survived the Death House camp. He survived World War II, became a Christian and from the years 1955 to 1981 served as the chaplain at Princeton University. I'm telling you, generosity is contagious.

Twenty years after the war, Gordon wrote about that experience. He said death was still with us, but we were slowly being freed from its destructive grip. Selfishness, hatred and pride were the anti life. Love, self sacrifice and faith on the other hand, were the essence life gifts of God to men. Death no longer had the last word at Chiang Kai.

I'm telling you Christian generosity is contagious. You do something and others will pick up the theme. I have been the recipient of so much generosity in life. Folks have been generous with kind words, loving deeds, gift to enhance ministry, and so much more. And it always surprises me, it always encourages me and it always humbles me.

I suspect you could say the same. So on the days when you're feeling really low, why don't you make a list of all the generous things that have been poured and invested into your life. And I'm telling you, it'll lift your spirit. And while your generosity impacts others, it also impacts you. Did you know, did you know that generous people are more grateful than the average person?

Learning to be thankful is important. And being generous helps you learn how to be thankful. Be thankful for the little moments, the small blessings around you. Go take a walk in the woods and remember that God knows when every sparrow stops singing and when every leaf falls from the trees. And if God is knowledgeable and cares about the insignificant sparrow, you can be sure that God cares about about you.

And here's something else we need to learn about gratitude. Being grateful makes you pleasant to be around. The grateful person is a joy to associate with. The grateful person is seldom negative or pessimistic. The grateful person sees every new day as a gift from God.

Not something that we are owed, but something we have been granted by his grace. And did you know this, that grateful people sleep better? It is true. So you be generous, which makes you grateful. And great gratitude will make you sleep better.

I'm telling you folks this morning, you combine a grateful heart with a dull sermon and you'll get the best nap you've had in a long time.

The grateful person is kinder, more empathetic. Some wise person pinned these words. It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart. Generosity and gratitude go hand in hand. 2nd Corinthians 9:11.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion. And through us. Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. A generous Christian is a grateful Christian. But what if the eye is unhealthy?

What if it's reluctant and grudging? Greed is a darkness that can drive out the light if we aren't careful. The Romans had a saying, money is like seawater. The more a man drinks of it, the thirstier he becomes. Greed is the insatiable desire for more.

More possessions, bigger houses, larger savings account, more fame, and the list goes on. When we become intoxicated with the thought of money, we lose sight of what really matters and life suddenly goes dark. Generosity is more about helping than it is about hoarding. Choose to be generous.

Third one. Choose true treasure. I suppose you've seen artwork that has this saying on it, home is where the heart is. Seen that one? That really fits pretty well.

This passage here. Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Have you ever stopped to think, what a treasure? Heaven is our eternal home. We get a second chance at life, this time in a perfect place with no pain, no heartache, no regrets, no disappointment, and no death.

It's if God is saying to us, I created a perfect paradise once, and sin destroyed it. But don't lose heart. I'm gonna provide you with a way home to a new, everlasting paradise. God's generosity to us is beyond comprehension. He didn't have to give us Heaven.

We didn't deserve heaven. It's his gift of grace. So don't worry about storing up treasure here, because you can't take it with you anyway. And if you could, when you got there, it'd be junk. It's not about what we have here.

Instead, Jesus said, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Now, how in the world do I do that? Well, by honoring God, by obeying his word, by putting Jesus first in my life, by serving others instead of always serving my own needs, and by helping others come to know Christ as Savior. It's those investments that store up treasure in heaven. The New Testament uses the word Heaven more than 270 times to refer to that place, that home, where we're going to spend eternity.

But my favorite description, it's the one that Paul gives us. Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. Home. That's such an incredible word, home. All through the movie the wizard of Oz, Dorothy is trying to get back home to Kansas.

And by the end of the film, Dorothy learns that all she ever had to do was to click her ruby slippers three times and say, there's no place like home. And for the Christian, it's true. There is no place like our eternal home. The hope of heaven gets us through life in this brain. You see, the promise of heaven changes our perspective on the things of this world.

We've got some antique furniture in our home that is really special to me. It was built by my great great grandfather back in the 1800s. He built it, but he only used it for a time. I'm the fifth generation to have it. But honestly, it's not mine either.

I'm just using it for a time. Someday it will belong to my descendants, and they'll only use it for a time. But it won't really be theirs. Everything belongs to God. And we are just caretakers of this wonderful life that he's entrusted to us.

So don't get attached to the things of this world. And the promise of heaven also changes our perspective on the troubles of this world. When life becomes painful, disheartening, sorrowful, it is the hope of heaven that keeps us going. And I want you to know this morning, folks, that our hardships do not define how we live. They do not define who we are.

They will not deter us from our destination. Our hope in Christ assures us that the best is still yet to be. Why? Because there's no place like home. On a December night in 1862, Union and Confederate troops were encamped along the opposite banks of the Rappahannock river in Virginia.

Only days before, the Union army had been soundly beaten in the battle of Fredericksburg, and troops on both sides watched and listened around their campfires. You could occasionally hear conversations that wafted across the water of the river. And then something unique happened. One of the camp bands began to play a song, and then the band on the other side of the river played a song. The union musicians gave a rounding rendition of Yankee doodle, and the confederates answered with Dixie.

The troops were entertained. This was not a battle of swords. It was a battle of songs. And then one of the camp bands struck up a melody that everybody knew. The other band soon joined in playing with them at the same time.

The song was composed in 1823 and was popular throughout the north and the south during the civil war. No soldier's diaries tell us which army started the song, but in a matter of minutes, both sides were silent and in tears. The song, home sweet home. One soldier later wrote that there wasn't a dry eye in his company's ranks. You know the last five words of that song?

There's no place like home. You see, we often compare life in this world to a journey. But I'm here to remind you this morning that it's only a journey if. If you have a destination, without a destination, you're only wandering aimlessly through this life. So here's my question to you this morning.

When you get to where you are going, will you have a home? Because I know of only one, only one who can get you to that destination.

It was 10 years ago in August, since 12 year old Cole Winnefeld went home. I think of Cole a lot, remembering his battle with cancer. In and out of hospitals for much of his life, fighting as hard as he could until his little body could not resist any longer. 12 years of fighting. In the early hours of Wednesday, July 29, 2015, Cole got ready for his last great adventure.

And though his voice had been weak and almost inaudible up to that morning, that morning he spoke clearly. It was about his snuggies, his well worn, threadbare stuffed animals that had gone with him everywhere and to every hospital visit and through every chemotherapy treatment. About 5:30 in the morning, Cole said, I need a container so I can take my snuggies with me. You know, it's not uncommon for people to pack when they're getting ready to go on a trip. A bit later, Cole sat up in his bed, looked beyond, far beyond the corners of the bedroom and the ceiling and wall and simply said, hi.

Hi. Hi. How y' all doing?

Those were his last words.

Later that day, Cole left this world and his Snuggies behind. Because where he was headed, he wouldn't need them anymore. I'm telling you, there's no place like home. I can't explain who or what Cole saw, but it was obvious he was looking beyond the moment. Perhaps God pulled back the curtain of eternity so Cole could see where he was headed, his destination.

Or perhaps God did it for us so that we might catch a glimpse of our eternal hope. To be reminded that death is not an ending, but a new beginning. And that home is our treasure and home is where our heart is. The old hymn says it well. This world is not my home.

I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

So knowing what this passage in the Sermon on the Mount teaches you and I have some choices we need to make this morning. So here's my challenge to you. Choose carefully who you will follow. I pray that it will be Jesus. Choose carefully how you will follow.

Live generously. Be generous with your words, actions, attitudes and resources. And choose carefully where you will follow. Remember, there's no place like home. Let me pray with you.

Father, I thank you for this day and for the opportunity to explore these verses that remind us of what really matters in this world. Thank you for Jesus and for what he has done for us that only he could do. Thank you for your generous nature to us, Heavenly Father, that you have given us life here and have promised life everlasting. And I pray that you will bless this congregation, who's always been generous in the past to continue to live in such a way that when people see our lives, they'll know that we've been with Jesus. Thank you, Father.

We look forward to life here, and we look forward to being home with you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.