Ben Stuart challenges our House to live generous lives compelled by faith in the midst of difficult days instead of being driven by fear.
Key Takeaway
The only thing that we can invest in that will be in Heaven is other people's souls. When we trust the heart of the Our Father, we are free to be incredibly generous.
In a crisis, you're either going to move towards self-absorption or radical self-donation. Are you going to be driven in fear or rise up in faith?
In Luke 14, Jesus is warning that His people are going to be persecuted and thrown in prison, but not to worry because the Holy Spirit will give them the words to say. Jesus's sacrifice is to procure our salvation. Our sacrifice is to proclaim it to a lost and dying world.
There's a bigger purpose that's worthy of your life. A preoccupation with possessions will derail you from your mission.
So, as Jesus is making a point about living beyond yourself and for eternity, a guy yells out asking for money, obviously focusing on greed and the temporary. He decides to tell a parable that will come alongside his main point to drive home the importance of it. Parable means to throw alongside.
Luke 14:13-21. The problem isn't the profit. The problem is his pursuit. He took the excess and made it about himself. Jesus calls him a fool because he has a distorted perspective. He fails to see how actions lead to consequences. Money doesn't give you autonomy or authority. It's a tool to steward for others.
Jesus isn't reaching for your money; He's reaching for your heart.
The Bible doesn't shame you into action; it loves you into it.
Underneath our hoarding is fear of scarcity.
Luke 14:22-23. Jesus tells us not to be anxious. Life is more than having.
Luke 14:24. We are valuable. God takes care of the ravens, which no one even likes. We are better than ravens!
Luke 14:25. Worrying can't add a day to our lives. It actually takes from it. We will die earlier because of our hypothetical problems.
Luke 14:27-29. Trust Him.
Luke 14:30-31. Live out your faith. When you know God as your Heavenly Father, you're free to be generous.
Luke 14:32. God is going to feed you. God is going to clothe you. You live according to His mission, and He'll meet your material needs. Seek Him, and He'll provide for you. It's His good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
Luke 14:33. Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Care about people's lives. Souls are the only thing going to Heaven with us.
The world is worried, but we know our Father, so we can have faith.
Discussion Questions
- In a crisis, do you move toward radical self-donation or self-absorption?
- Our hoarding is a fear of scarcity, not selfishness. Are you driven by fear, or have you taken the opportunity to exercise faith?
- What does Jesus tell His disciples in Luke 14:22? Have you ever been in a position where lack of food and clothing made you anxious?
- Why does Jesus pick ravens in Luke 14:23? What is the point He is making?
- Has worrying ever helped a situation you've been in? How many hours have you lost fretting over something that wasn't even real? What does Jesus say about that? See Luke 14:25.
- What is Jesus saying in Luke 14:27-29? What does this mean for you?
- How does Luke 14:30-31 encourage you to live out your faith?
- Often, we fear what we don't have, when in reality, God says it's His good pleasure to give us what? See Luke 14:32.
- Because of our Father, you are free to be generous. What is one way that Luke 14:33 you can do that?
- What is something you can do this week to pour into the timeless and take your focus off of the temporary?
Scripture References
