WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.120 Hey, thanks for joining us today on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:09.960 the Bible Teaching Ministry of Rick Warren. And today we're 3 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:14.439 continuing our series called the Habits of Happiness. In this series, 4 00:00:14.519 --> 00:00:17.480 Rick dives into the Book of Philippians and helps you 5 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:22.120 discover God's path to true and lasting happiness. I can't 6 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:24.839 wait for today's message. Here is part one of a 7 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:27.879 message called God's Promise to the Generous. 8 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:32.200 Today we wrap up the series by looking at the 9 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:36.600 last habit in the last passage or the last few verses. 10 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:37.719 Of this incredible book. 11 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:42.759 Now, Paul ends this little book with the greatest promise 12 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:47.640 ever given in the Bible, without a doubt, Philippians four 13 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:51.000 nineteen is the greatest promise God gives to you and 14 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:53.560 to me. And the reason I say it's the greatest 15 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:58.640 because it's so inclusive, it's so expansive, it's so including 16 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:05.879 and encompassing every other promise of the Bible. Philippians four 17 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:11.200 nineteen says this, You can be sure that God will 18 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:18.799 take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding yours 19 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:23.159 in the glory that pours from Jesus. You can be 20 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:26.040 sure that God will take care of everything you need, 21 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:31.439 his generosity exceeding yours in the glory that pours out 22 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:35.040 from Jesus. Now that word first, it says you can 23 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:37.159 be sure. In other words, this is not a hope, 24 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:39.519 This is not a wish, This is the might. This 25 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.120 is not I'd really like this. This is a certainty. 26 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:49.040 God guarantees this. God says, I guarantee that I will 27 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:54.560 take care of everything you need, my generosity exceeding yours. 28 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:56.560 I'll take care of everything you need. I had to 29 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.000 go look up that word everything. It's a little word 30 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:03.359 in the Greek. It's the word poss pas in Greek, 31 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:15.159 and posse means anything, everything, all things, whatever, whenever, however, 32 00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:21.719 every circumstance, at all times. Now, what is not included 33 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:24.479 in that word nothing? 34 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:28.080 I mean, there's no wiggle room in that word. There's nothing. 35 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:30.479 So then my big question when I look at that 36 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:34.800 versus this, then, why do you have so many unmet needs? 37 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:40.719 Is God a liar? Is this just a verse? 38 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:42.560 You go, oh, yeah, I kind of hope this works 39 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.199 or not? Is God really a liar? Is God actually 40 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:50.240 saying I will meet every need? Does that include emotional 41 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:56.599 needs yes? Does it mean physical needs yes? Financial needs yes, 42 00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:03.319 relational needs yes, Spiritual needs yes. God says, I guarantee 43 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:07.000 that I will meet every one of your needs, and 44 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:11.439 my generosity will exceed yours. So why aren't all your 45 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:12.199 needs met? 46 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:13.719 Well? 47 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:15.840 As you know, I've said this many times, there's a condition. 48 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:20.039 With every promise, there is a promise. With every promise 49 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:22.400 in the Bible. There are over seven thousand promises in 50 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:24.639 the Bible. And God says, if you do this, then 51 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.560 I'll do this. If you do this, then I'll do that. 52 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:30.680 And if you do that, then I'll do this. And 53 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:33.680 God says, there's a premise. With every promise, there is 54 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:38.759 a condition. Now I can't claim Philippians four nineteen. Paul 55 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.000 ends this book with the greatest promise in the Bible 56 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:45.800 unless I do what is talked about in verses fourteen 57 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:50.800 to seventeen, verse eighteen, And in that passage of scripture 58 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:56.039 it talks about generosity. In fact, that phrase in the 59 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:01.120 message paraphrase says God's generosity exceeds yours. This promise is 60 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:04.240 tied to generosity. God says, I will never let you 61 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.960 give more than me. You cannot outgive God. You've heard 62 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:10.919 me say that many many times. Now go back and 63 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.639 Remember the reason that Paul wrote this book. It's a 64 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:19.480 thank you note for an offering. Remember Paul is in 65 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:23.680 prison in Rome. He's an old man. He's awaiting execution 66 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:28.800 by Nero. He has started churches all over the Roman Empire. 67 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.120 One in corinth and he writes letters to them called 68 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:33.720 the Corinthians, and one in Philippi and he writes a 69 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:36.639 letter to them called the Letter to the Philippians. One 70 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:39.439 in a church in Thessalonika. It's a city in Greece, 71 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:42.439 and that's called First and Second Thessalonians. If he had 72 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:47.879 started saddleback, he would write first and Second Californians. And 73 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:51.040 he writes these letters and then he says, you guys 74 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:53.680 in Philippi, you have been the most generous with me. 75 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:57.079 He says, you have helped me time and time again. 76 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:00.160 And this is a fake you note. This book that 77 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:02.839 he writes is a thank you note and a receipt 78 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:06.759 for their generosity. He saying, I got your gift. And 79 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:10.439 through the entire book he talks about joy and generosity, 80 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:16.120 Joy and generosity. In fact, Paul actually brags about this 81 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:19.480 church to all the other churches he started, and he 82 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.040 writes a letter to the people in corinth the Corinthians, 83 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:26.240 and he actually brags about these guys. 84 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:27.040 If they're on your outline. 85 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:29.120 I want to look at this as the context of 86 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:33.079 where we're going today. Tewod Corinthians eight, Paul says. To 87 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.279 the people there, he says, I want you to know 88 00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:41.839 about the church in Philippi's generosity. He said, even while 89 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:48.279 suffering in severe trials, the Philippian church was and extreme poverty. 90 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:52.519 This was an incredibly poor church, very poor church. Their 91 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:57.279 lives have overflowed with joy. I notice, even when they're 92 00:05:57.319 --> 00:06:01.079 going through tough times and extreme poverty, he said, these 93 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:07.959 Philippians are still overflowed with joy because of their amazing generosity. 94 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:12.879 He says, I personally witnessed their giving and not simply 95 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:18.000 giving what they could afford, but giving even beyond human ability. 96 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:21.720 So these people were flat broke, they were in extreme poverty. 97 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:24.079 None of us are in extreme poverty, he said. Yet 98 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:26.680 they were giving even beyond their human ability. How in 99 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:29.600 the world do you do that, he said. Nobody told 100 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.040 them to do it. It was due to their own 101 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:37.839 generous hearts. In fact, they begged and they pleaded for 102 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.680 the privilege of giving to serve God's people. And they 103 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:45.199 gave in such a way that we did not expect. 104 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:49.279 He said, first they gave themselves to the Lord, and 105 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:52.199 then they gave themselves to us, and that is what 106 00:06:52.279 --> 00:06:56.000 pleases God. So Paul is bragging about this church, saying, 107 00:06:56.079 --> 00:07:00.079 this is the most generous church on the planet. If 108 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:04.560 God brag about your generosity, if God would ask you 109 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:06.439 to stand up right now and say, let me tell 110 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:10.240 you how generous this person is with their time, with 111 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:15.639 their money, with their influence, with their energy, with their praise, 112 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:21.560 with their words. This person is an incredibly generous person. Now, 113 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:23.360 there are really only two kinds of people in life, 114 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:26.480 their givers and their takers. And you have to make 115 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.759 a choice. This is one of the habits of happiness. 116 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:31.839 You have to make a choice. Am I gonna be 117 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:33.920 a giver in life? Or am I going to be 118 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:37.199 a taker in life? I've told you many times, if 119 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.360 not by accident, that the word miser and the word 120 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:44.560 miserable go together. The more it's all about me, the 121 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:47.199 more I take, take, take, take, take, the more unhappy 122 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.399 I am. The more I give, give, give, give, give, 123 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:52.279 the more generous I am with every area of my life, 124 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:56.199 my praise generous, with my love, generous with my time, 125 00:07:56.600 --> 00:08:00.279 generous with my money. The more generous I am, the 126 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:05.120 more happy I'm going to be. Now, during this series, 127 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:08.480 we've looked at the Book of Philippians, and we've looked 128 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:11.360 at what I've called the habits of happiness. And we've 129 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:15.199 looked at the habit of integrity, and the habit of humility, 130 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:18.839 and the habit of charity. We've looked at the habit 131 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:21.399 of serenity. How do you live with peace of mind? 132 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:26.120 We've looked at the habit of reliability, being dependable, We've 133 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:30.480 looked at the habit of productivity. Paul ends this book 134 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.080 with one final habit. He says, if you really want 135 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:36.720 to be happy in life, you're going to have to 136 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:42.480 learn the habit of generosity. That's going to produce more joy, 137 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.639 more happiness in your life. And through the whole book 138 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:48.279 he does this, and he's talking about these different things 139 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:51.480 we have to learn. In Philippians chapter one, verse nine, 140 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:55.360 he says, you've got to learn how to love, and 141 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:57.960 then in Philippians one, verse ten, he says, you've got 142 00:08:57.960 --> 00:08:59.759 to learn what matters most. 143 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:00.799 Will make you happy. 144 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.240 And then in Philippians three he says, verse ten you've 145 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:06.960 got to learn how to know Christ and what it 146 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:09.720 means to go through tough time suffer with him. He said, 147 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:13.440 that'll actually make you happy. And in three seventeen, Chapter three, 148 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:16.080 verse seventeen, he says, you've got to learn to be mature. 149 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:19.559 The more mature you are, the happier you'll be. Last 150 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.879 week we looked at Philippians. Chapter four, verse eleven. He says, 151 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:25.600 you got to learn to be content. That's a habit 152 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:29.320 of happiness. And he says, if you'll learn to be content, 153 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:32.399 then you're gonna learn to be happy. And in these 154 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.879 last few verses of this book, he says, you got 155 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:38.480 to learn to be generous. And if you learn to 156 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:42.279 be generous, your joy is going to overflow. So here's 157 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:44.679 what I want to do today. I'm gonna quickly take 158 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:46.679 you through the book and do a summary. Just give 159 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.679 you six things. The list six things of the benefits 160 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.080 of being a generous person instead of being a taker 161 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:56.720 in life, being a giver in life. I'm gonna give 162 00:09:56.720 --> 00:09:58.960 you the six benefits of what it does to you. 163 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:01.960 And then I'm gonna explain to you how you can 164 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.639 claim that promise where God says I will meet every 165 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:10.639 need in your life, My generosity will exceed yours. Now, 166 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:15.240 the Bible says in Proverbs chapter eleven, verse seventeen, the 167 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:19.759 kind and generous man benefits himself. 168 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:21.679 What does that mean. 169 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:24.679 It means that you're gonna get out of life what 170 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:29.200 you put into it. The kind and generous man benefits himself. 171 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:32.240 God has established. One of the laws of the universe 172 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:37.440 is this. You're gonna sow what you reap. Whatever you plant, 173 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:42.080 you're gonna harvest. Whatever you give out, you're gonna get back. 174 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:45.559 But you're always gonna get back more than whatever you 175 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:48.600 give out. Now, this is true in every area of 176 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:52.200 your life. If you give out praise, people are gonna 177 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:55.799 praise you back. If you give out love, people are 178 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.720 gonna love you back. If you give out gossip, people 179 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:03.879 are gonna gossip about you. If you get angry with others, 180 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:06.240 people are gonna get angry with you. If you are 181 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:11.120 generous with others, other people are gonna be generous with you. 182 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:12.519 Now here's the point. 183 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:15.519 Whatever you need more of in your life, you need 184 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:19.240 to give away what you've got. Let me say it again, 185 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:21.480 whatever you need more of in your life, you need 186 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:23.600 to give away what you got in other words, let's 187 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:24.840 say you don't have any energy. 188 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.279 You're tired all the time. You're worn out. 189 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:30.159 How do you get more energy by laying around on 190 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:34.279 the couch watching TV. No, that didn't give you energy. 191 00:11:34.519 --> 00:11:37.399 There's only one way to get energy. Expend what you've got. 192 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:42.080 You need to get up and exercise. Why because exercise 193 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:47.320 actually increases your energy, not decreasing it. By using what 194 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:51.480 you've got, you actually get more. So, if you need 195 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:53.879 more time in your life, you need to give away 196 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:59.840 some of your time unselfishly, serving others, serving God unselfishly. 197 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:02.159 And God says, I'll give you back more than you 198 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:04.799 have given out. I will never let you be more 199 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:08.960 generous than me. Whatever you need more of, you give 200 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:10.960 it away. You need more money, you need to give 201 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:13.960 away some of your money. You need more energy, you 202 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:16.399 need to go give away some of your energy. The 203 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:20.679 kind and generous person will benefit himself. 204 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.399 Now how do I benefit myself? Well? 205 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:25.879 The Book of Philippians, which is about a thank you 206 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:29.559 note for generosity, gives the six ways that when you're 207 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:32.399 a giver not a taker in life, you actually end 208 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:37.320 up being blessed more. Number one, the first benefit of 209 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:43.279 generosity is I earn the gratitude of others. I earn 210 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:47.480 the gratitude of others. You go up in esteem, you 211 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.519 go up in your reputation, you go up in people 212 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:52.120 loving and being grateful for you. 213 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:53.720 The more of a giver you are. 214 00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:56.519 If you think about the people in your life that 215 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:59.720 you're most grateful for, who are they? They're the people 216 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:04.639 who invested in you. They invested time, money, energy, patience, whatever. 217 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:07.639 The people you're most grateful for are the people who've 218 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.320 given them most to you. If they've been stingy, you're 219 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:14.399 not grateful for them. Now, let me see it this way. 220 00:13:14.919 --> 00:13:18.600 You earn a living by what you make, but you 221 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:22.679 earn the respect, and you earn the gratitude of others, 222 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.399 and you earn a legacy, and you earn a reputation 223 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:29.080 by what you give. You earn a living by what 224 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:32.799 you make, You earn a life by what you give, 225 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.480 and you earn the gratitude of others. Paul gives an 226 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.879 example of this, that the most giving people to the 227 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:43.120 most appreciated people. Philippians Chapter four, This last passage we're 228 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:47.559 looking at. He says this, how grateful I am, and 229 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.080 how I praise the Lord that you are helping me again. 230 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:52.720 They just sent it an offering to him. It was 231 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:54.799 so good that you helped me when I needed it. 232 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:58.559 You Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial 233 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:00.480 help when I brought. 234 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:02.840 You the good news. No other church did this. 235 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:07.399 You sent me aid again and again when I was 236 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:11.679 in need. So I am generously supplied with the gifts 237 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:15.480 you sent me. And look of the next verse Philippians 238 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:17.919 Won three, five and seventy says, every time I think 239 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:21.720 of you, I give thanks to God for you. Because 240 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:25.600 you've been my partners in spreading the good news. It's 241 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.720 right that I should feel as I do about you, 242 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.080 in other words, so grateful, so loving, for you have 243 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.559 been a very special place in my heart. We have 244 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:39.320 shared together the blessings of God. Question, is anybody grateful 245 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:44.840 for your generosity? Can you think of five, ten, fifteen, 246 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:47.840 twenty people? Go, Man, that person is so loving, they 247 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:50.600 are so giving. They have been so generous with me 248 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:55.279 that they are grateful for you. Why don't you write 249 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.879 a note or make a call to all the people 250 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:01.480 who've been generous to you a way to give thanks. 251 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.919 You can give thanks by talking to people, say thank 252 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:07.200 you for your generosity to me. The way, You've been 253 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:09.279 so giving in my life. You were there when I 254 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:12.080 needed you. You help me financially, you help me physically, 255 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:15.840 you help me emotionally. The people who've been given to you, 256 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:19.039 you speak grateful for them, But at the same time 257 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:21.080 you want to say, who am I being generous to 258 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.480 that they're grateful to me. That's the first thing I earn, 259 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:28.399 the gratitude of others. Number Two. Every time I'm generous, 260 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:33.879 I show what really matters most. I show what really 261 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:38.240 matters most every time I'm generous. Why Because what matters 262 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:39.919 most things are people. 263 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:40.480 People. 264 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:45.080 Things don't matter most. Life is not about the acquisition 265 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:49.960 of things. Now, when you give, when you're generous with 266 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:53.600 your time, your money, your energy, whatever, every time you give, 267 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:57.240 you're showing what matters to you. Tell me how you 268 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:00.720 spend your money, tell me how you spe spend your time, 269 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:05.039 and I'll tell you what matters most to you. And 270 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:07.039 if I looked at some of your schedules, what matters 271 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:10.240 most to you is your hobby. What matters most to 272 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:13.600 you is your sport. Some of you you look at 273 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:15.799 your time, money, What matters most to you is your children. 274 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:18.600 I'm not saying that's wrong I'm just saying, whatever you 275 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.159 spend your money on most is what matters to you 276 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:25.480 the most. Jesus said it like this, Wherever your money is, 277 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:26.879 your heart's going to be there. 278 00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:28.960 See. 279 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.320 I don't care about Microsoft because I don't own stock 280 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:32.159 and Microsoft. 281 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:33.679 But if I bought. 282 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:35.480 Stock and Microsoft all of a sudden, I'd care about 283 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:39.000 the success of that company because wherever you put your money, 284 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:42.200 that's where you put your heart. And so when I 285 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.960 am generous, it shows what really matters most. Now, Paul 286 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.600 talks about this issue through the whole book. We've looked 287 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:51.639 at it for nine weeks. Look at some of these 288 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:55.600 verses Philippians one verse ten, I want you to understand 289 00:16:55.879 --> 00:17:00.000 what really matters, Paul saying, I want you to understand 290 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:02.559 what really matters. And the way I give shows what 291 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:05.599 really matters in my life. What does matter my life 292 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:10.599 not acquisition. Life is not about the accumulation of things. 293 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:16.279 He who dies with the most toys still dies. I 294 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:18.880 heard about this guy who a billionaire, and this is 295 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:21.680 a true story. A billionaire oil man asked to be 296 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:24.839 buried in his Cadillac and at the funeral, one of 297 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:26.640 the guys said, man, that's living. 298 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:30.960 Really and I'd call that dying is what I call it. 299 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:32.400 That's dying. 300 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:36.880 And so what you put your self in emphasis in 301 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:41.240 shows what matters most. Jesus said, a man's life does 302 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:43.960 not consist in the abundance of things that he possesses. 303 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.920 In other words, I could spend my whole life working 304 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:50.400 working hard to get money so I can buy things, things, things, things, things, 305 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:52.599 and my pile of things can get bigger and bigger 306 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:53.519 and bigger, and at. 307 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:55.519 The end of the life, my pile is this big. 308 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:56.400 So what. 309 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.519 Life is not about things? It's about learning how to love. 310 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.440 It's learning about relationships. And if at the end of 311 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:07.880 life I've got a giant pile of things, but I'm 312 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.480 estrange for my wife and kids, I missed it. I 313 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:13.920 just missed the purpose of life, because the purpose of 314 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:18.640 life is not collecting things. You are to use things 315 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.559 and love people. If you start loving things, you're gonna 316 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:22.200 use people. 317 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:23.640 You get it reversed. 318 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:27.160 And so every time I'm generous with my time, with 319 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:31.440 my money, with my effort, with my energy, I really say, 320 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:35.200 what matters most is God and people. What matters most 321 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:38.880 is love. Now Paul talks about this in verse chapter three, 322 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:44.240 verse seven, all those things, all those little fribulties that 323 00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:48.240 I thought were so very important, I now consider worthless. 324 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.799 I don't have to have that, I don't need a 325 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:53.960 status symbol to make me feel good about myself. I 326 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:58.640 now consider worthless because of Christ. You see, this is 327 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:04.000 how generosity breaks the grip of materialism in my life. Now, 328 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.759 what is materialism? Materialism is the idea that having more 329 00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:11.960 will make me more happy, more secure, and more valuable. 330 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:13.640 And none of those things are true. We talked about 331 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:17.720 that last week. That's materialism. Materialism is all about. 332 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.599 Getting, get get, get, get, get, get get. 333 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:21.319 I gotta get a little bit more next year. I 334 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:22.559 gotta get a little bit more next year. 335 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:22.960 I gotta get. 336 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:27.000 That's called materialism. How do you break the grip of 337 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:30.119 materialism in your life? There's only one way. The anecdote 338 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:35.319 forgetting is giving. So every time I'm generous and I 339 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:37.599 take something that I've got and I give it to you, 340 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.359 or I give it to God, or I give it 341 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.400 to a poor person or whatever, then I am actually 342 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:47.559 breaking the grip of materialism in my life. In Philippians 343 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:50.279 three twenty, Paul says, where's citizens of heaven? 344 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:52.759 Where the Lord Jesus Christ live. 345 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:56.359 He says, I'm not living for here and now I'm 346 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:59.319 storing up for eternity. I'm not trying to make my 347 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:02.279 pile on this side of eternity. I'm trying to make 348 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:05.160 my pile on that side of eternity. I'm living in 349 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:09.640 light of heaven. See what does my generosity? What does 350 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:12.160 my giving reveal about me? What is it reveals most important? 351 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:15.200 Where I put my money is where I put my heart? 352 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:18.519 Now Number three the third thing. Every time I'm generous, 353 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.400 I earn the gratitude of others. I show what really matters. 354 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:23.559 Number three, I become more like Jesus. 355 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:24.680 Why. 356 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:27.920 Because Jesus is the most generous person who ever lived. 357 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:31.359 Jesus is a giver. Why am I becoming more like Jesus? 358 00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:36.960 Because giving is the essence of God. God is a giver. 359 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:39.359 If God was not a giver, none of us would 360 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.400 be sitting here right now. Because everything in my life 361 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:45.440 and everything in your life is a sheer gift of God. 362 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:50.519 If God wasn't generous, I'd have nothing. The air we breathe, 363 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:55.039 the sun that shines down on us, the fact that 364 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:57.119 my heart is beating that I'm taking the fact that 365 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.039 I have lungs. 366 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:01.480 I didn't earn these lungs. I didn't earn this life. 367 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:05.319 It was given to me out of God's great generosity. 368 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:08.079 If God wasn't a generous god, I would have never 369 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:10.480 been created. And if God wasn't a generous God, I 370 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:12.440 wouldn't say the next word word. 371 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:15.640 Everything. 372 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:18.720 The Bible says, every good gift and every perfect gift 373 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:20.519 comes down from the heavenly Father of life. 374 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:23.319 He said, well, wait a minute, I earned this stuff. 375 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:25.480 Where do you think you got the ability to earn? 376 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:27.559 But I thought it up? Where do you think you 377 00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:28.319 got your brain? 378 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:35.319 Everything in your life is a gift of God. Everything, 379 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:38.000 the freedom you have, the fact that you have eyes 380 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:40.240 to see, it, ears to hear, It's all a gift 381 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:44.200 of God. Because God is generous. Now, God wants his 382 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:49.359 children to become like him, the Bible says, God so 383 00:21:49.559 --> 00:21:53.599 loved the world that he he gave. You've heard me 384 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:55.799 say this many times. You can give without loving, but 385 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:58.920 you cannot love without giving. So you say, well, you 386 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:01.559 know I really love my kids, do you give them 387 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:02.039 your time? 388 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:05.279 Well? I really love my wife, what are you giving her? 389 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:09.839 God so loved the world that he gave and This 390 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:12.599 is what love is all about. I become more loving 391 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:18.200 when I become more generous. You spell love giv Lust 392 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:23.640 is based on getting. Love is based on giving. Lust 393 00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:27.599 can never wait to get. Love can always wait to give. 394 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:36.200 You know, one of the things you ask about us 395 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:39.720 most here on Daily Hope are the Bible scripture cards. 396 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:42.599 We get a ton of requests for them, so Pastor 397 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.400 Rick has created another deck of scripture cards with fifty 398 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:50.319 two key verses from his Habits of Happiness teaching series. 399 00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:54.079 These verses will help you discover God's path to true 400 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:58.720 and lasting happiness. They're colorful, eye catching cards, and they 401 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:01.640