CHAPTER 4: HOW GOD MEASURES GENEROSITY Sunday School Leader’s Guide Introduction It costs something to get the things that you really want. If Lesson Passage you want a nice house, it is either going to cost you a lot of 1 Chronicles 21 money or it’s going to cost you a lot of time and energy. If you want to have the “Yard of the Month,” you’ll have to Big Idea make a lot of sacrifices to get your lawn perfectly manicured. Sacrifice is necessary to get the things we If you want to have children, they will cost you a lot of really desire in life. freedoms – not to mention all of the money they will consume. Lesson Outline I. Introduction A few years ago, a documentary film was produced to show - It costs something to get what you really the sacrifices of following Christ. It follows the true story of want. five missionaries who desperately wanted an unreached group of Indians to experience the love of God. Beyond the II. Counting the Cost Gates of Splendor is based on Elizabeth Elliot's best-selling - 1 Chronicles 21 book, Through Gates of Splendor. Both tell the true story of - Optional Exercise: Watch Session 3 of the Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger DVD (14-1/2 minutes) Youderian, who in January 1956 were speared to death in the jungles of Ecuador by the Auca Indians. III. Money is Only the Beginning As the documentary shows, family members of these slain - God wants us to be generous with our time, missionaries eventually returned to the Amazon basin where talents and treasures. their relatives were murdered. They did not just return for a memorial, but they returned to actually live among the IV. Final Thoughts Indians who killed their dads, bothers and husbands. Their evangelistic efforts eventually help Christianity to flourish among the native people. In one particular scene, Frank Drown, a pilot and missionary friend, recalls leading the search-and-rescue team in an effort to find the five slain missionaries: "They [the slain missionar- ies] had guns with them. They had said that they would never kill the Aucas, even if they attacked them, because they made this strong statement: 'They're not ready for heaven, and we are.'” Those five missionaries were willing to sacrifice a great deal for the betterment of the Auca Indians. They were willing to sacrifice their own lives so that the Aucas could understand the love of God. While that is a radical example of making a sacrifice for something you love, it is also an accurate picture of how much God is willing to sacrifice in order to have intimacy with us. When God wanted to win your heart and secure intimacy with you for eternity, it cost Him His Son. pg 1 HOW GOD MEASURES GENEROSITY Today, the desire to follow Christ compels us – like the slain missionaries – to “take up [our] cross daily and follow [Christ].” In each case, there is a sacrifice involved. Question 1: What do you think…does God measure generosity by the size of the gift or by the size of the sacrifice? Are there any biblical stories that you can cite as examples? Question 2: What would “sacrificial” generosity look like for a middle-class American today? NOTES:____________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ pg 2 COUNTING THE COST In 1 Chronicles 21, David is tempted by Satan to count the fighting men of Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:1-28 (NIV) 1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a Read 1 Chronicles 21:1-28 census of Israel. When you first hear that it was a “temptation” to count 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to people, you may think this story is ridiculous. After all, don’t Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how we count people all the time? We count the number of many there are.” students in schools; we count the number of people in 3 church; we count the total customers our businesses But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all serve…so what’s the problem? my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” Actually, God had previously indicated that any time there 4 was a census, a sacrifice – or offering – was required for each The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to person counted. That way, the leaders would remember that Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported the number of the fighting these people belonged to God. This offering would have men to David: In all Israel there were one million one been a reminder to David that the fighting men of the army hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, were not his. They belonged to the rightful King. The sacri- including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah. fice that was required would have put this census in proper 6 But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the perspective. It would have reminded the people of Israel that numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive they belonged to God and ultimately it would have reminded to him. 7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel. them that God was the reason for their might, not fighting men. The sacrifice was necessary for proper perspective. 8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your In spite of being warned against this type of census, David servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” really wanted to know how big his army had become. There- 9 The LORD said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell fore, he ignored the voice of God and ordered the census. In David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you the end, this action brought the wrath of God on the people three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out of Israel. Seventy-thousand men ended up dying because of against you.’” David’s disobedience. God was making an emphatic point – sacrifice was necessary for the proper results. Later in the story, David was humbled and repented of his actions. As a result, God told him to go to the property of a man named Araunah. It was at Araunah’s house that the plague would stop and God’s mercy would begin. Therefore, David went and prepared to set up an altar on the property. Araunah wanted to donate the land to David for the sacri- fices to be made, but David had learned his lesson. He said, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” He now knew that sacrifice was necessary for proper perspective and results. David learned his lesson. It costs something to get the things in life that you really want. pg 3 COUNTING THE COST Optional Exercise: Watch Session 3 of the Genius of Generosity DVD (14-1/2 minutes) Question 1: What is something a spiritual milestone that you 11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what have always wanted to achieve for yourself or your family? the LORD says: ‘Take your choice: What sacrifice do you think is necessary to achieve the proper results? 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of Question 2: When God calls you to become generous, what plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging perspective do you think He is trying to give you? every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.” 14 So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 16 David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 17 David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? pg 4 MONEY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING When it comes to generosity, God makes it clear that money 18 is an important beginning step, but far from what the genius Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the of generosity is all about.