Lavish Giving, Loving Guests, Living Christ — John Piper

The following message is by Pastor John Piper. More information from Desiring God Ministries is available at www .desiringgod .org.

Living by Mercy Through Lavish Giving and Hospitality

Verse 9 through 13. Let love be genuine abhor what is evil hold fast to what is good. Love one another with a brotherly affection Outdo one another in showing honor Do not be slothful in zeal Be fervent in spirit serve the Lord Rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation Be constant in prayer Contribute to the needs of the Saints and seek to show hospitality.

Amen father, I'm so thankful for grace and mercy that we don't have to deserve salvation and that you look down with great patience upon your erring children. Where would we be without Christ and his blood and His resurrection and his reign and his intercession on our behalf.

We would be undone. We would be lost we would be Perishing father, I pray that out of the abundance of this grace. We would be lavish givers With open homes loving guests In the power of a living Christ and so come and apply verse 13 of Romans 12 to this church make us lavishly generous people and Make our homes open welcoming Christ exalting hope giving peaceful loving Places for strangers to come.

I pray for your help to this end in Jesus name. Amen. How do you live when you know when you know and feel that? Your life moment by moment is sustained by totally undeserved mercy. That's what Romans 12 is written to answer.

Remember verse 1. I Appeal to you therefore brothers By the mercies of God. I appeal to you therefore on the basis of everything that I have said in Romans 1 to 11. I appeal to you on the basis of The wrath of God and the mercy of God.

I appeal to you on the basis of everything I've shown you about the deity of Christ and about his death and resurrection and rain and Intercession. I appeal to you on the basis of everything. I've shown you about the Holy Spirit poured out into your heart Promising to raise your body from the dead.

I appeal to you on the basis of everything I've said about Justification by faith alone and how because of the obedience of one man many will be counted Righteous. I appeal to you on the basis of everything.

I've taught you about the sovereignty of God and how he works everything together. For your good. I appeal to you brothers on the basis of all that therefore Romans 12 Live this way. Live this way. Romans 12 is a description of how we live when we know and feel the truth that we deserve nothing but misery and Instead have the promise that the sufferings of this life are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed To us.

Romans 12 is the way you live when you have been broken Because of your sin and find yourself saying with Romans 7 wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death and discover as you look up to Christ that he has paid your debt in full and Say thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That's what Romans 12 is. It's the way you live when you're swimming in an ocean of mercy. Bought by the price of the blood of the Son of God when you know that and feel that you live like this. There's a great issue facing us in every age, but especially in an age and a country.

That is an age and a country of wealth and it's the issue of our Possessions and how we handle them and think about them and feel about them. For Jesus, this was simply huge. Wasn't it? He talked about this more than he talked about almost anything except the kingdom of God.

He gave warnings and promises and commandments about how we handle our money and our homes and our possessions. He rebuked people for building bigger and bigger barns in order to make their lives ease.

He told stories and parables. He said that by hoarding things you will perish and by giving things you will lay up treasure for yourself in heaven how to handle our money and our possessions and our homes is the barometer in the life of Jesus of Whether we trust God and treasure Christ where your treasure is There will your heart be?

Also, so it's not surprising that Paul comes back to this in verse 13. So open your Bibles if you've closed them. To Romans 12 verse 13. I say he's come back to it. Because in verse 8 in the middle of the verse he had said.

Let the one who contributes do so in generosity. At the end of the verse the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. Now he says it again With more specificity. Contribute to the needs of the Saints and.

Then he gets really specific and says Open your homes. Seek to show hospitality. So it's not merely Give money away put money in the cup. But bring them into your home, you know. In our day, we think the term hospitality in a pretty domesticated way, you know, like set a nice table and write a note and have somebody over and Hospitality Philoxenia was a very dangerous practice in the early church if Christianity is outlawed or it is Spontaneously being persecuted and you say come to my house have the meeting at my house.

Or are you running away quick come in here? That's dangerous. It was dangerous in World War two Corey Tim boom and it is dangerous in the world many places today to do hospitality for Christians. So, please let's not over domesticate the term Hospitality loving strangers welcoming people into your home.

Not just giving stuff away. That's big and important but also drawing the needy ones in that's the two halves of verse 13. This is the way people who know and feel that moment by moment you are living by sheer undeserved lavish mercy.

Live so I appeal to you go back to verse 1. I appeal to you by the mercies of God by the lavish contribution that God has made to your life in the blood of Christ and by the Lavish Open home that the Lord has shown to you.

Not just to welcome you in as a guest but by official blood sign documents of adoption into his family. You know this kind of a limited hospitality and then there's mega hospitality. Mega hospitality is called Adoption and God did that so that we would do both.

Four Questions About Christian Generosity and Hospitality

So let's think about verse 13 for a few minutes. I have four questions to ask of this text. Number one. Is it really crucial in the Bible? Is it really near the center of? Living the Christian life to be a contributor to needs That people have so that you relieve them and to welcome people Into your home.

Is that near the center of the Christian life or Marginal and kind of icing on the cake and you can take it or leave it. Question number two. What stands in the way of our doing that more? Liberally. Joyfully.

Three. How do you break free? From the bondages that keep us from being givers and welcomers. And Fourth, what would the rewards be if it happened to us that liberation? Number one. Is it really crucial is it central to the Christian life?

Giving as an Investment in Treasure in Heaven

Let's take texts on giving and then texts on hospitality to show you how this is central. Yes. The answer is yes. Matthew 6 19 do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. We're moth and rust destroying thieves baking steel lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust don't destroy thieves.

Don't break in and steal for where your treasure is. There will your heart be also sell your possessions and give alms and thus provide for yourselves Purses in heaven that do not grow old. It's real clear how you lay up treasures in heaven you give.

There is an investment strategy in the Christian life give money away and You will have treasure in heaven. That's the investment strategy. That was very very very central to the teachings of Jesus. Then the early church picked it up like this acts 434.

There was not a needy person among them for as many as were owners of lands or houses. Sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the Apostles feet and It was distributed to each as any had Need.

That's the way Romans 12 13 looked in Jerusalem in the early church. Then the Apostle Paul takes it and takes it to all of his churches. To Titus the churches that he was responsible for he says Let our people Learn to devote themselves to good works so that they may help cases of urgent need and not be unfruitful.

To the Corinthians he says each one must give as he has made up his mind not reluctantly or under compulsion because God loves a Cheerful giver and then to the Ephesians this amazing word. Oh how relevant this is to us.

Chapter 4 verse 28 let the thief No longer steal. But let him labor Working with his hands that he may have Something to give to those in need. The reason I say that's so relevant is because it gives three layers of life and Some are stuck at one most are stuck at two.

Few make it to three. First don't steal. That's level one. You could steal dad. You want to have steel level two. Don't steal. Work with your hands that you may have. That's level two. Most people live there.

Most Christians live there. They totally think about their work is have have have have have have have have have. I want to earn that I may have and. Then there's level three. Let the thief no longer steal let him labor with his hands that he may.

Have something to give. Life is about giving. Christian living is not level one for sure and not level two in spite of most people being there. It's level three. We earn in order to have to give. Life is about giving your your what two-thirds of the way towards life.

If you don't steal and you work hard and you have what you ought to have. That's two-thirds of life and you haven't reached life. When you start spilling over, you know life is happening in your heart.

Randy Alcorn. We said it last year is exactly right nails it as he does so many times quote. God prospers me. Not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving. That is so absolutely biblically, right?

Wesley. Make as much as you can. Save as much as you can. Give as much as you can. There's a there's a tension between two and three there isn't there? Well, I'd love to go into that but we'll leave it.

Giving as Worship and Discipline

Paul then turned it to a discipline. Listen to this. This is the Biblical roots of why we take an offering as a part of worship. First Corinthians 16 now concerning the Collection for the Saints. He's going around collecting money for the poor in Jerusalem on the first day of the week not Saturday.

Everything's shifting over to the Lord's Day on the first day of the week. Each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper. Now that may have meant just store it up in your house.

So that when I come there doesn't have to be this big pressure on everybody to collect but just have it ready. Now today you might say well, let's not have to Scramble at the end of every month or any verse six months in order to do the ministry of the church so we will lay aside every Lord's Day and turn it into a glorious act of Worship whereby we declare we depend on you not money.

That's enough on the giving half of verse 13. What about the hospitality half in answering the question? Is it central? Is it important? Is it right near the middle of the Christian life? When Jesus sent out the twelve.

Listen to what he said. Acquire no gold. Nor silver nor copper for your belts. No bag for your money nor two tunics or sandals nor staff for the laborer deserves his food. Whatever town or village you enter find out who's worthy in it and stay there until you depart.

Jesus built hospitality into the matrix of his mission. Depend on hospitality missionary when you go. Find a house stay there and then as if there needed to be some motivation. He said one of the most biblically breathtaking things about hospitality that could be said.

He said Matthew 1040. Whoever receives you Receives me and whoever receives me Receives him who sent me. Hospitality in the name of Christ is a Receiving of God Almighty maker of heaven and earth into your home.

You will have the reward of a righteous man when you receive a righteous man in the name of Christ. You will have the reward of a prophet when you receive a prophet into your house. When you open your house now, let's let.

Let's let the book of Hebrews say it. Oh not quite as amazingly just almost. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares. You can have God and you can have angels if you open your house in the name of Jesus and Then Jesus as if he wanted to push the stakes even further and further on this issue.

He took hospitality and he added to the list of the things for which we will be held accountable at the Judgment Day when he said The king will say to those on his right hand come. You are blessed by my father in here at the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry. You gave me food. I was thirsty. You gave me drink. I was a Stranger and you took me in. That's the kind of question she's gonna ask at the last day. How did you handle your house? Did you bar the door and not take any risks?

Or did you open and welcome in people who you didn't know, but they might be angels and they certainly would be God If you receive them in the name of Jesus. Listen to Peter he he puts hospitality in such a critical context.

This is first Peter 4 7 the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers above all. Keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins.

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. What a context. The end of the world is coming down. Open your door. And don't murmur about it. The Lord loves a cheerful hostess. I love it when the Bible says don't murmur.

Because I'm a Christian hedonist and I know what the opposite of murmuring is. Be happy. The Bible doesn't want us to murmur. Oh, we have to have people over for dinner again. Clean up the house. Well, you don't have to clean up the house.

I'll get to that later that comes later in the sermon. Answer to question number one. Yes. It is very Central very crucial right at the heart in essence of what it means to be a Christian who lives and swims in the mercy of God.

Obstacles to Generosity: Obliviousness and Carelessness

Number two. Question number two. What stands in the way of us being like this? Lavish in giving opening our homes. And here in I have in mind all kinds of giving. I have in mind giving to the church because that's one of the ways We funnel money into ministries which meet needs but I have in mind giving to all kinds of agencies.

I wrote a check just this week to to voice of the martyrs. It came every time I open voice of the martyrs. I say, okay, so I give this time. Oh, yeah, I'll give this time because oh, I love the ministry to persecuted Christians around the world.

And then envelope after envelope comes in my life, right? It's not easy to know where to give but I'm not saying Bethlehem's the only place you should give. And then thirdly besides Bethlehem and all these wonderful places to give there's people on your doorstep or On the street and just face-to-face giving.

So that's the kind of giving I have in mind as I launch now into obstacles. Number one obstacle and these are in the order from gentle to severe one obliviousness. For whatever reason in the church. And this is totally understandable there are many young people especially some older ones who grew up in homes where it was Absolutely the last thing on anybody's agenda to give money regularly to a church let alone 10 you've got to be kidding.

I mean, that's the kind of homes. Hundreds of you grew up in it was not on the radar and therefore children unlike my little Talitha who has a little envelope that says Long-term savings short-term savings and church and as I give her her allowance she divvies it up in the envelopes.

Now she's growing up when she's 18 giving to the church is a given. You don't learn that it's just it's done. Most of you I don't know lots of you didn't grow up in that kind of home. And therefore that you're just oblivious that there might be a call on your life.

Right near the center that says your money is not your own. It belongs to God. What portion of it will go to the needy in the church? And so this is a oblivion destroying message number two carelessness.

There are some of you who are not oblivious but careless that is you know, this is what you're supposed to do this is part of the joy of being a Christian to give and give and give and You never get around to planning how much when.

Talk it over with the spouse. It just slides and so you are impulsive and just oh, yeah, I guess. Yeah, I should write a check this morning quick and and it's just life is one impulse after the other and there's no planning.

There's no discipline. Unlike 1st Corinthians 16, that's reason number two reason number three is greed. That is the desire to keep more than we need. The spirit of greed groans when it gives and The biblical alternative to greed is not disciplined groaning.

It's not like well. We don't like to give and it's a sure groaning thing to give and I would rather buy this and this and this and this but he said do it so I groan as I Discipline regularly give. That's not the biblical alternative to greed.

Freedom from Greed Through Cheerful Trust

The biblical alternative is 2nd Corinthians 9 7. Let each do as he's made up his mind not under compulsion. But freely for the Lord loves a cheerful giver. Just keep it if you don't do it cheerfully. At least the Lord will not be pleased with a gutting out of your Discipline giving of this money you love so much.

What he wants is for you to say by your giving I love you I trust you this can be multiplied for your glory. Amen. I'm happy. That's the way we break free from greed and the fourth obstacle is fear. Greed Wants more than it needs and fear is afraid.

God can't meet my real needs and So it protects itself. Unduly, it focuses on the consequences of not having what it really needs and I'm calling you Not to be afraid. The answer to greed is the pleasure of the presence of Christ and the answer to fear is certainty in the promises of Christ.

Let me say that again the liberation from greed is the present experience of the joyful fellowship of Jesus and the liberation from fear is The present confidence that tomorrow there will be abundant mercies for that need that is making me anxious.

Overcoming Fear in Hospitality

What about? Hospitality, what keeps us from being more? Hospitable opening our homes the way we should and here there's a whole cluster of fears as Well as obliviousness and carelessness. There's fear that people will just take too much of our time.

You have these people over for lunch they may never go home. I Gotta take a nap right and they just may talk and talk and talk and or if you have them over because they've been put out of their apartment could not they may stay there for months and.

So I can't do this good deed because I might get trapped the fear of time. The fear of They'll see you don't keep your house very well they might open a closet door or go into the teenagers bedroom and I Think we ought to declare at Bethlehem.

Maybe for a month or two something like this. We all resolve to have people over every week and never dust for two week two months never dust and. And you just put it on your invitation you're invited to come for lunch on Sunday and we don't dust before guests come.

There's something like that and we just kind of corporately get her get her act not together. And just free each other that at Bethlehem you go and you expect to find mess everywhere you just laundry and and Screens leaning up against the back of the sofa.

I'm describing my living room right now. And and a shovel the the snow shovel is in the living room right now and and we just we just kind of assumed That's the way we are. We we don't try to keep up a front and disobey the Bible.

We just relax and say oh cool there. They're not Head up about this. So why should I be either? Another fear would be that you do have your act together and these folks are gonna wreck it. Because you just put in new carpet and you're you're spending all your time As to whether or not you should buy slippers for everybody.

I Know some of you do that and that's okay. But really just can we just say this is stuff. People are people in the image of God. I have a home as a representative of heaven. Oh. The bondage is in which we live let me mention one more fear that I think keeps us away is I don't make conversation real well and Especially if they don't speak English too good.

So how you gonna do a whole afternoon? We're in bondage. Fear after fear after fear Keeps us from obeying verse 13 and I want to say be free. So we go to question number three how do you break free from this bondage into the Liberty of the joy of lavish generosity and open homes.

The Gospel as Freedom from Fear and Greed

The fundamental biblical answer of Liberty freedom from greed and fear the biblical answer is that Jesus Christ died and rose again. To make you Absolutely certain that everybody who trusts in him Would have the all owning and all powerful God on your side committing himself Every day of your life to be lavishly generous to you and to be openly hospitable to you.

The way you get free from fear and greed in not being hospitable and not giving. Is that you are confident the blood of Jesus is so precious so valuable. So all covering and all sufficient that Almighty God is no longer against me.

But for me and when I undertake to do a hard thing, he's gonna work for me. Don't shut your door and belittle the blood. It's a gospel issue. Do you trust the? Sufficiency of the death of the Son of God to incline the heart of God to sinners.

Like you to supply all your needs according to his riches in Glory in Christ Jesus, that's the essence of the answer. It's expressed in Romans 8 32 he who did not spare his own son. But gave him up for us all.

Will he not with him freely give us all things That we need. Answer yes, because Christ is worth it. You're not worth it. Just don't argue with God that way. I'm worth it. Help me. Don't argue that way say for Christ's sake help me.

I look away to Jesus. I'm a sinner. He's perfect. His blood and righteousness is all my hope and stay for his sake. Would you meet my need this afternoon and help me to make conversation, please? He will Hear the promises to hold on to my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

That's Philippians 419 plastered inside your brain or 2nd Corinthians 9 8 God is able to make all grace abound to you. So that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound for every good work.

There is not one good work that God expects you to perform for which there will not be adequate supply. I'll say that again on the basis of 2nd Corinthians 9 8 there is not one good deed That God expects you to perform for which there will not be a bountiful supply of everything.

You need to perform it. That's amazing what a promise. 2nd Corinthians 9 8. Bethlehem. Let us be thankful as a church. I Have with some of you walked to the end of 25 budget years now. And I have learned so much with you about God's ways with money.

They're not our ways. He does not do it our way. But he does it his way my God. Bethlehem will supply all your needs According to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus on my little prayer bench at home.

There's a little square white piece of paper. I might have thrown it away now since it was all last year and I saw February to 004 Please 21 increase in giving. Oh God because we thought that was Untouchable last year when we bumped the budget up 21 and the giving in January as it always does wasn't 21 ahead of December giving or it was.

No, December is impossible to get ahead of and then we come to the end of the year. And moving into the last Sunday hundreds of thousands of dollars behind for all these need meeting ministries that we have the labor is worthy of his food and at the end of the last Sunday We don't have it $200 ,000 short and it's over the giving.

Sundays are past and God did it and we went $20 ,000 over not only giving but budget and I asked Was that a sugar daddy and I was told there wasn't. But one check over $10 ,000 in the mail and all the rest was spread out over Dozens and probably hundreds of late Gifts, so here's what I've learned.

I mean, I've learned lots of things number one. Just when you think you're on top of it an unexpected bill comes and just when you think you're gonna go under an unexpected check comes and Do you think God's gonna ever do it differently than that?

I don't think God's gonna ever do it differently from that because if we got on top of this thing We know how to do money at Bethlehem, we don't have to be on our faces crying out to God for the impossible.

That would be a bad place to be. We got businessmen here, right? We got savvy. We know how to do budgets. We know how to motivate people. We know how to get people given. Yes, sir if that's the Reliance God will take a vacation From us and it isn't so I just linger over Bethlehem on this third question.

To say thank you publicly Lord. Thank you for last year and now We've just voted last Wednesday night to increase this year's budget 27 percent. And we will be on our faces all year long in reliance upon him.

Rewards of Generous Christian Living

Last question. What are the rewards if God does this liberation? Number one. The suffering Saints will be relieved you see that there in verse 13 contribute to the needs of the Saints relieve a need lift a burden and Give hope when that happens.

We love it. It's a reward. It's more blessed to see that happen in another. Then to receive more money. Number two. The glory of God will be displayed. Matthew 5 16 let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your father who is in Heaven when you lavishly don't depend on money.

But depend on God and let your money go and open your home and depend on God. People start thinking he's Valuable to you and if to you maybe perhaps to them. But as long as we live like the world With the world's treasures, then that's what will look valuable.

And God won't get any glory from that third. More thanksgivings to God will be unleashed. 2nd Corinthians 9 12 this ministry of the service is Not only supplying the needs of the Saints. It is overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

Have you thought of your life this way? Specifically your money and your house your apartment. Have you said? God has been so good to me to give me sufficient income. I Give him. Thanks. I give him. Thanks.

God has been good to give me a place to stay a flat an apartment a Roommate and a house. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you period. That's not the way you're supposed to live. Rather other people are supposed to give thanks for what God has given you.

Other people are supposed to give thanks for the house. God has given you. Yes, it's proper for us to say thank you for the job you just gave me. Thank you for this new house. Oh, yes. Thank you, but that's not the point of life.

The point of life is all right now. I have I have I have. What will I do? How will I spread? Thanksgiving's answer. I will give and give and give and then what God gives to me multiplies my Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving of many that was 2nd Corinthians 9 12.

4th answer. Confirming. Confirming God's love in your life first. John 3 17 if anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need. Yet closes his heart against him. How does the love of God abide in him?

It doesn't that's scary. You talk about it being Center Close if we receive and receive and then lock it up. I'm thankful. I'm thankful. You know the Pharisee said that I thank thee God that I am not like this Publican.

What's wrong with that? I'm thankful. I'm not a drunk. Well, what's wrong with that is he bottled it all up. He just shoved this guy away. His whole heart was wrong and his words were good. I Thank the God Thank Thee.

No, you don't. You're not living by grace. You're not living by mercy Pharisee. Come on. That was not true. It was a use of religious language. And his heart was wrong towards the publican. So let's not claim to love God if we just whoo I've got love for God.

My door is shut and my checkbook is shut. Then I'm giving thanks. Last. Last benefit that comes besides these other four is treasure in heaven. Sell your possessions and give alms and lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven multiply your joys in heaven.

Final Exhortation to Give and Practice Hospitality

Closing summary statement. Lavish giving and Open homes are near the center of what it means to be a Christian. The reasons we don't Open our checkbook and open our homes the way we should is a cluster of fears and greed carelessness and obliviousness.

The liberation out of that bondage is the gospel of Jesus Christ and Reckoning that he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all will most certainly fulfill Philippians 4 19 my God will supply all your needs.

According to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus bought by the blood of his Son. Do we believe that and if we do and are liberated then we will have the benefits the rewards That I have listed Treasures in heaven, so I beseech you.

I beseech you. I Appeal to you By the mercies of God the ocean of mercy in which you swim. I appeal to you by the mercies of God contribute to the needs of the Saints and Practice hospitality. Let's pray Lord, that's my and I believe your Exhortation to the flock of God at Bethlehem this morning.

And I ask that you would Do it. Oh Lord We long for life to be as free From fear and greed as birds with wings to fly are free and lilies have no need. Our spirits surge to break the chains of love to earthly things to strip our souls of worldly reigns and ride on eagles wings.

Oh Father make us free to give and teach by heaven's beam That in a spring No life can live Until it makes a stream.

Thank you for listening to this message by John Piper pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Feel free to make copies of this message to give to others, but please do not charge for those copies or Alter the content in any way without permission.

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