I Will Commit to Generosity (Chantilly Sermon)
January 26, 2025

Luke 12:15 CSB – [Jesus] told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
The Farmer’s Wisdom: He Worked
Luke12:16 CSB – Then he told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive.
Genesis 1:28 CSB – God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule…
Colossians 3:20 CSB – Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,
Luke 12:13 CSB – Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
The Farmer’s Foolishness: He Trusted Wealth
Luke 12:18-19 CSB – I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’
Psalm 14:1 CSB – The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”
John 10:27 CSB – My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
Proverbs 3:5,7 CSB – Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes;
John 12:15 CSB – He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
False Promises of Wealth
1. More will make you happy
Reality: wealth produces discontent
Ecclesiastes 5:10 CSB – The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income.
2. Wealth can bring you security
Reality: wealth fuels anxiety
Ecclesiastes 5:12 CSB – The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep.
3. Wealth can give you confidence
Reality: wealth feeds pride
4. Wealth can bring you peace
Reality: wealth produces conflict
Jesus’ Wisdom: Be Rich Toward God
Luke 12:20-21 CSB – “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
How You Can Be Rich Toward God
- Be rich toward God with your time.
- Be rich toward God with your money
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 CSB – The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.
- In everything, live with eternity in mind
James 4:13-15 CSB – Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”