The Generosity Journey – Part 1
The Parable of the Generous Landowner
Read: Matthew 20:1–16
Intro: Let me ask you a question that may offend your instincts: What if someone got the same reward you did… but they barely did any of the work? Would you celebrate—or silently seethe? Picture yourself clocking in at 6 a.m. You grind all day in the sun. Sweat-soaked. Dust-covered. Hungry. Tired. Then a guy clocks in at 5 p.m.—barely breaks a sweat—and walks off the job with the same paycheck you got. Wouldn’t that feel a little... unfair? But what if it’s not unfair? What if it’s just grace? In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a story that undoes our math, flips our sense of justice, and reveals something staggering about who God is.
The parable retold
The sun is rising. The marketplace is already humming with men who need work. This is their version of the unemployment office—except if you go home empty-handed, your family doesn’t eat.
At 6 a.m., a landowner arrives. He’s got a vineyard and a harvest to bring in. He offers the going rate: a denarius. A full day’s wage. They agree, and they go. That crew—the “6 a.m. crowd”—know exactly what they’re getting.
But then the landowner does something strange.
At 9 a.m., 12 noon, and 3 p.m., he goes back to the marketplace. Each time, he finds more men standing idle, waiting.
But this time, he doesn’t promise a denarius. He simply says, “I will give you whatever is right.” They trust him. And they go.
Then at 5 p.m., just one hour before sundown, he shows up again.
These men weren’t late—they were overlooked. All day, others were picked. Hope walked away in someone else’s shoes.
Now they stand in the shadows of failure—not from laziness, but because no one picked them.
And when the landowner shows up? He doesn’t shame them. He doesn’t say, “Here’s a handout.”
He gives them what they crave most—a job. A chance to walk home with dignity.
There’s no promise. Nothing is said about pay. No amount. No contract. They go because it might benefit them. It could be an audition for tomorrow. Who knows? It’s better than nothing.
Payday – and the shock
At sundown, the landowner tells his steward: “Line them up—start with the last group first.”
And this is where things get upside down.
The 5 p.m. crew steps forward… and they get a full denarius. Wait, what?
The guys in the back—who’ve worked 12 hours—start doing the math. “If they got that for one hour, we’re about to cash in.”
The next groups are then paid: 3pm then 12pm then 9am, and somehow they all get one denarius, too!
And when the early birds’ turn comes… they get the same. One denarius. Exactly what they agreed to at 6am.
Suddenly, that fair wage feels like an insult. They grumble. They glare. One even complains out loud, “You made them equal to us.”
The landowner says to him: “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way.” (v.13–14)
That line—“Take what is yours and go your way”—isn’t just logistical. It’s relational. He’s releasing the man. And there’s pain in that dismissal. A potential relationship was just short-circuited.
It’s as if the landowner is saying: “If you can’t stand my grace, you’re free to leave. But don’t accuse me of injustice when I’ve only been generous.”
And what’s wild is that Jesus leaves the story open-ended. We don’t know what the grumblers do. Do they remain bitter or do their hearts soften and their attitudes change? We aren’t told. Why?
Because the story now belongs to us. We are now standing at the pay table at the end of the work day.
Will we embrace grace—or resent it?
Three shocking surprises
Let’s walk back through this story and highlight three shocking surprises that reveal the heartbeat of the kingdom—and the character of our King.
- The Steward Doesn’t Do the Hiring—The Master Does
It’s not until sundown that we learn that the master has a “steward” – a business manager! Where’s he been?
In a normal business operation, the steward would be sent to hire workers. But in Jesus’ story, the master keeps going himself—again and again. Why? Because this parable isn’t about finding labor—it’s about offering life.
He could have sent his steward. Yet, through the heat of the day he chose to go himself… again and again.
There’s nothing efficient about that! It’s not standard business practice. But it is incarnational leadership.
It’s the Gospel: God didn’t outsource your rescue. He showed up Himself.
The landowner wants to personally invite, personally hire, and personally restore dignity to each man.
John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
He didn’t send someone else to do the rescuing—God put on an earth-suit and came Himself.
- He Pays the Same Wage to All—Yet No One Is Underpaid
The early crew got exactly what they agreed to: a fair wage. The latecomers got more than they ever hoped for: grace.
No one was cheated. But some were not pleased that others were blessed.
What does this teach us about justice? God never underpays—but He often over-gives.
That’s not injustice. That’s generosity.
He could’ve said to the 11th hour laborers, “You barely worked. Take a copper coin and be grateful.”
Instead, He says, “I want your kids to eat. I want your wife to smile. I want you to walk through the door tonight with your head held high.”
That’s what grace does—it gives full worth to people who barely made it in. Everyone received the same wage (a full day’s pay) regardless of how long they worked.
- He Reverses the Order of Compensation—On Purpose
He could’ve paid the all-day workers first and avoided all the fuss. But He didn’t. Why?
This wasn’t random. It was theatrical. He wanted the others to see the scandal of His generosity.
He wanted the 6 a.m. guys to hear the coins hit the palms of the 5pm workers. They would watch grace settle where they thought it didn’t belong.
“You want to be richer at the end of the day. I chose to be poorer—so others can have joy and dignity.”
He put grace on display.
The Master wanted his vineyard to echo with laughter and exhale with joy.
He wanted the children of the 5 p.m. workers to run to the gates yelling, “Daddy brought home a whole denarius!”
This landowner wanted people to remember the day that he paid the undeserving—and made them equal with the strong.
And yes, grace offended them. Because while grace doesn’t reward effort—it does expose entitlement.
It doesn't pat you on the back for clocking in early. It gives the same joy, the same coin, the same embrace… to the one who barely made it in.
And that feels wrong—if you're doing your math with pride; if you calculate by the law. “Law to the proud; grace to the humble.”
That’s why Jesus closes the parable with the landowner asking this piercing question:
Matt 20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?
In Jewish thought, having an “evil eye” meant being stingy, tight-fisted, inwardly resentful when others received generosity. It’s not about the eye itself—it’s about the heart behind the stare.
Deut 15:9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you.
Translation? Don’t use tight-fisted calculations to dodge being generous. Don’t say, “How little can I give and it still count?”
Prov 28:22 A man with an evil eye hastens after riches…
So what’s Jesus saying here? He's confronting the workers—and us:
“You’re mad because I didn’t let you feel superior. You wanted justice for you—and judgment for them. But I gave grace. And you couldn’t handle it.”
When you want more—not because you need it, but because someone else got it—you’ve left the vineyard of grace and entered the jungle of pride.
This is why grace is offensive. Because it levels the playing field.
It says to the rule-keeper and the rebel: You're both broke without Me. And to some, that’s infuriating.
Martin Luther – “The gospel offends because it treats saints and sinners the same: all are helpless, all are saved by mercy.”
The world we live in is still doing vineyard math—working, comparing, keeping score. But the kingdom Jesus invites us into… flips all of that. The last go first. The waiting are welcomed. The tired get treasure.
WHO IS THIS LANDOWNER?
By now it’s clear: This landowner isn’t just a kind boss. He represents the Lord Jesus.
He comes to the marketplace of the world and sees the weary, the overlooked, the latecomers. And He says, “You too. Come work in My vineyard.”
He offers salvation—not based on performance, but on His mercy.
Romans 5:6 says: “When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
The landowner didn’t just manage from a distance. He went to the unemployment line himself to rescue some workers.
Let’s pray:
“Jesus, thank You for coming into the marketplace when no one else did. Thank You for calling me, hiring me, and paying me what I never deserved. Help me celebrate Your generosity—not just for me, but for others. Make me a 5 p.m. worker at heart—grateful to be included at all.”
For Prayer Ministry:
What Is Generosity?
- Generosity is inconvenient.
It takes effort. The landowner didn’t delegate the work—he kept showing up himself. Again and again. He made the rounds personally, not because he needed labor, but because he cared about lives. That’s the grit behind grace.
To be a generous believer, we cannot give to the ministry only once to satisfy our consciences. True generosity shows up again and again—even when it disrupts our schedules and pushes us past what's comfortable.
- Generosity calculates differently.
It doesn’t play by “what’s fair.” The landowner paid everyone the same—and it drove the hard workers crazy. Why? Because grace gives based on the Giver’s heart, not the receiver’s resume. Kingdom math always looks upside down to the world.
To be generous to the Lord, the conventional math doesn't have to work out. It’s not about calculating return on investment—it’s about trusting that God sees and multiplies what we give for His glory.
- Generosity is costly.
Let’s be real: the landowner “lost” value on everyone after 6 a.m. He didn’t get a full day’s return from the 9, 12, 3, or 5 o’clock crew. But he gave anyway. Generosity absorbs cost so others can receive grace. It’s not efficient—it’s extravagant.
If we give and never feel it in our routines, it wasn’t generous. Generosity that never costs us convenience, comfort, or cash isn’t generosity—it’s just leftovers and tips.
So what’s your step today?
- Maybe you need to make that second trip to the marketplace—serve again, give again, show up again.
- Maybe it’s time to trust the Lord with a gift that doesn’t add up on paper – but honors Him anyway.
- Or maybe generosity has gotten too easy – and it’s time to feel it again.
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While you're finding Matthew chapter 20 in your Bibles, I want to tell you things that are new. Today's a new sermon series. It's going to be three weeks long called the Generosity Journey. But as excited as I am about that to bring it to you, I'm more fired up about our new small group term. And so this weekend, Angie and I, my wife, have been working on small group rosters and talking to leaders and taking signups and placing people in groups, and the signup's been overwhelming.
We have lots of of people that are getting ready to be in our new small group term. And look, there's only five home meetings in this next small group term. But if you want to get to know our church better and get into some Christian community with us on your welcome card, the very first box says I want to get to know people by joining a group. If you'll mark that, let us know. We will go to work on that and get you in one of our small groups if that's that's what the will of the Lord is for you.
So looking forward to that. And this Wednesday, first Wednesday is going to be get to know your small group or join one and going to be in this room around tables. I want to invite you to our midweek first Wednesday. It's going to be about our small group ministry. Matthew chapter 20 today.
Now let me say something to you before I read our text. If you read Bible commentaries on Matthew 20, the commentators, most all of them, call this parable of Jesus, the parable of the workers in the field, or the parable of the vineyard workers. And while in the Bible there are no descriptors for Jesus parables, they can be helpful additions, but I don't think that's a helpful one. In fact, in my Bible it says the parable of the workers in the vineyard. It misses the point and it puts the emphasis on the wrong group.
I call this the parable of the generous land owner. And you'll see why after I teach you this message today, I'm going to read our text. Matthew, chapter 20, verses 1 through 16 for the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Vineyard. Now, when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard, and he went about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.
And he said to them, you also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right, I will give you. So they went again. He went out about the sixth hour, the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the 11th hour he went out and found others standing idle and said to them, why have you been standing here all day? And they said to him, because no one hired us.
He said to them, you also go into the vineyard. So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And when those who came, who were hired about the 11th hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would Receive more. And they likewise received each a denarius.
And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, these last men have worked only one hour and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good? And so the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen. My brothers and sisters, the word of the Lord.
Let's bow for prayer today. Father, I'm so hopeful for this sermon. I'm so eager to teach. And I pray that it lands in the hearts of my brothers and my sisters and our guests today, the way it landed in my heart. God, I pray that you would help us.
Lord, we want to grow in generosity. We want to be like this landowner today. In Jesus name, Amen. So let me ask you a question that may offend your instincts. What if someone got the same reward you did, but they barely did any of the work?
Would you celebrate that? Or would you inwardly fume and silently seethe? Picture yourself clocking in at 6am and you grind all day in the sun and you're soaked in sweat and you're covered in dust and you're hungry, or you're hangry and you're tired, you're in a bad mood. And then some guy clocks in at 5pm he barely breaks a sweat and he walks off the job with the same paycheck that you got. Wouldn't that feel a little.
How would you say it? Unfair?
But what if it's not unfair? What if it's just grace? In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a story, a story that undoes our math, a story that offends our sensibilities. It's a story that reveals something staggering about who God is.
Let me tell you. Let me retell the parable in modern language. The sun is rising. The marketplace is already humming with men who need work. This is their version of the unemployment office, the town square.
Except if you go home empty handed, your family doesn't eat. At 6am a landowner arrives. He's got a vineyard and a harvest to bring in. And he offers the going rate a denarius. A denarius equals a full day's pay.
A full day's wage. They agree and they go. It's a contract. That crew, let's call them the 6am crowd. They know exactly what they're getting at the end of the day.
But then the landowner does something strange at 9am and again at noon. And at 3pm, he goes back to the marketplace. And each time he finds more men standing and waiting.
But this time he doesn't promise a denarius. He simply says, I'll give you whatever's right. They trust him and they go. And then at 5pm, just one hour before sundown, he shows up again. And these men weren't late.
They were overlooked all day. Others got picked and hope just walked away in somebody else's shoes. And now they stand in the shadows of failure. And it's not from laziness. It's just because nobody picked them.
And when the landowner shows up, he doesn't shame them. He doesn't say, hey, here's a handout. He gives them what they crave the most. A job. A chance to walk home with dignity.
There's no promise, nothing said about pay, no amount, no contract. They go just because it might benefit them. It could be a short audition for tomorrow's work. Who knows? They just know it's better than nothing.
And then comes payday and the shock. At sundown, the landowner tells his steward, line them up and start with the last group first. And this is where things just get upside down. The 5pm crew steps forward and they get a full denarius.
What in the world? The guys in the back who work 12 hours. Hours, they start doing the math, man.
Hey, if that guy got that for one hour. Oh, we're about to cash in here.
The next groups are then paid backwards. 3pm, noon, 9am and somehow they all get a denarius too. And now there's some murmuring. And when the early bird's turns come, they get the same one denarius, exactly what they agreed to work for at 6am Suddenly that fair wage feels like an insult. So they grumble and they glare and one even complains out loud.
He says, you made them equal to us.
And the landowner says to him, in verses 13 and 14, friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way.
That line, man, it sticks with me. Take what is yours and go your way. That isn't just logistical. It's not just to keep the machinery running, it's relational. Take what's yours and go your way.
He is releasing that man and there's pain in the dismissal.
Do you understand that a potential relationship was just short circuited due to a lack of gratitude?
It's as if the landowner is saying, if you can't stand my grace, you're free to leave. But don't accuse me of injustice when I've only been generous.
And what's wild to me is that here's yet another one of Jesus parables that he leaves open ended. We don't know what the grumblers do. Do they remain bitter? Do their hearts soften? Do they change their attitude?
Does their complaining disqualify them from future work? We are not told. Why is that, Friends, it's because now the story belongs to us, the hearers. We are now standing at the pay table at the end of the workday.
And the question is, will we embrace grace or will we resent it?
And now I want to give you three shocking surprises for all you note takers. Let's walk back through the story and highlight three surprises that reveal the heartbeat of the kingdom of God and the character of our king.
The first surprise, the steward doesn't do the hiring, the master does.
It's not until sundown, like verse seven or eight, that we even learn that the master has a steward. A steward's a business manager. He's supposed to run the company for the rich guy. Where's he been? You see, friends, in a normal business operation, the steward would be the one going to the marketplace to hire the workers.
But in Jesus story, the master keeps going himself, again and again. Why? You ready for the answer?
Because this parable is not about finding laborers, it's about offering life.
He could have sent his steward. And yet, through the heat of the day, this landowner owner chose to go himself over and over again, five times.
And by the way, there's nothing efficient about this approach. It's not standard business practice. But you know what it is? It is incarnational leadership. What does that mean?
Friends, it's the gospel.
God did not outsource your rescue. He showed up himself.
The landowner wants to personally invite, he wants to personally hire. He wants to personally restore the dignity to each of these men. You know, John 1:14, the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
He didn't send anyone else to do the rescuing. God put on an earth suit and came himself. The steward doesn't do the hiring, the master does. That's the first surprise. Number two.
Second surprise, he pays the same wage to all, and yet no one is underpaid.
Do you remember that the early crew, the one that worked 12 hours, received exactly what they agreed to, a fair day's wage. And the late comers, they got more than they ever hoped for. They got grace.
No one was cheated, but some were not pleased that others were blessed.
And friends, what does this teach us about God's justice? You ready? God never underpays, but he often over gives.
That's not injustice, that's generosity.
This is the parable of the generous landowner. Isn't it true that this man could have said to those 11th hour laborers, those who started work at 5pm he could have said, hey, you barely worked. You're not even sweating. Here, take a few copper coins and be grateful. He could have said that and no one would have criticized him.
Instead he says, you know what? I want your kids to eat. I want your wife to smile at you. I want you to walk through that door tonight with your head held high. Here's a pay for work you didn't even do.
Friends, that's what grace does. It gives full worth to people who barely made it in. Somebody say amen.
Everyone received the same wage that day, a full day's pay, regardless of how long they worked.
And yet no one was underpaid. And now, surprise number three.
He reverses the order of compensation on purpose.
You know how this landowner could have avoided any of this? Complaining? All he had to do was take those people that worked from sunlight to sundown and just paid them first. They would have gotten that gold coin. They would have walked away.
They would have said, this satisfies me. And no one would have known the difference. And that's the problem.
You see, this wasn't random, it was theatrical. Listen to me very carefully. He wanted the other workers to see the scandal of his generosity.
Can I tell you something? God is delighted for the whole world to see his goodness. It's right for everyone to see and notice and recognize the goodness of God, whether you believe him or follow him or not.
He wanted the 6am guys to see the gold coins hit the palms of the 5pm worker. Why is that, Pastor? Because they would watch grace settle where they thought it didn't belong.
It's as if this landowner says, you want to be richer. At the end of the day, I chose to be poorer so that others can have dignity and joy. And the Apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 8, 9, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. That through his poverty you might Become rich.
Another way to say this, he put grace on display.
The master wanted his vineyard to echo with laughter. He wanted his vineyard to exhale with joy. He wanted to hear, can you believe what we just received? That ought to be said at every church service from here until the end of time.
He wanted the children of the 5pm workers to run to the gates yelling, daddy brought home a big gold coin.
This landowner wanted people to remember the day that he paid the undeserving and made them equal with the strong. He reverses the order of compensation on purpose. And yes, friends, grace offended some of them. Them. Because while grace doesn't reward effort, it does expose entitlement.
Do you know that grace doesn't pat you on the back for clocking in early, but it does give the same joy and it does give the same coin and it does give the same embrace to the one who barely skated in at the last minute, like that repentant thief on the cross who lived his whole life in rebellion to God and his last hours in faith and heard the Lord Jesus say, today you will be with me in paradise. And I can imagine someone at the foot of that cross saying, that's not fair.
And God says, oh, you thought I was judging by your ideas of fairness, did you?
That feels wrong. It feels wrong if you're doing math with pride. It feels wrong if you're calculating by the law. But I want to remind you of one of the most important teachings of the Lord Jesus. It's law to the proud, grace to the hunger, humble.
If you come to God filled with pride and hanging on to your pride, you'll walk away sad like the rich young ruler. When he asked about, how can I receive eternal life, Jesus gave him commandment after commandment after commandment. Law to the proud. But if you come to him broken, if you come to him no longer pretending, no longer masquerading as an angel of light yourself, if you come like that lady caught in the act of adultery, if you come like that woman who had the bad reputation in her town and took that expensive ointment and poured it on Jesus, if you come like Nicodemus who said, I'm one of the teachers of Israel, except I need to learn from this man. If you come to him like that.
Grace to the humble.
You guys getting this? That's why Jesus closes the parable with the landowner asking this piercing question. Verse 15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or underline this in your Bible?
Is your eye evil? Because I am good. I want to talk about the evil eye in Jewish thought.
To have an evil eye to the Jews in the Bible meant to be stingy. It meant to be a miser. It meant to be tight fisted. It meant to be inwardly resentful when others receive generosity. And it's not about the eye itself, it's about the heart behind the stage error.
Let's trace it all the way back. It goes all the way back to Deuteronomy 15:9. Moses says to the people, beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, the seventh year, the year of release, the jubilee year is at hand. And your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing. And he cry out to the Lord against you, and it becomes sin among you.
You. Well, that's the first mention of the evil eye. The second I'm not going to go to. It's Proverbs 23:6, 7. And then here's the translation of Deuteronomy 15:9.
Don't use tight fisted technicalities to dodge being generous. Well, preacher, there's no verse in the New Testament that says we have to tithe our money, right? Grace giving goes beyond the law. Tight fisted technicalities. Riches don't say, how little can I give to God and it still count.
That's an evil lie. Proverbs 28:22. A man with an evil eye hastens after what riches. So what's Jesus saying here? He's confronting the workers who complained and he's also confronting us.
He says, you're angry because I didn't let you feel superior. You wanted justice for you and judgment for them, but I gave grace and you couldn't handle it.
You know when you want more of something, not because you need it, but because someone else got it. When that happens, you've left the vineyard of grace and you've entered the jungle of pride.
And that's why grace is offensive, because it levels the playing field.
It says to the rule keeper on this hand and to the rebel on this hand, you're both broke without me. And to some that's infuriating. Martin Luther wrote the Gospel offends because it treats saints and sinners the same. All are helpless, all are saved by mercy.
Did you know that the world that we live in is still doing vineyard math?
It's true. Working, comparing and keeping score. But the kingdom Jesus invites us into just flips all of that. The kingdom that Jesus invites us into. The ones who wait to the last minute are welcomed the last.
Go first the tired get treasure and so on and so on forth.
Hey, I want to find out who is this landowner. Got any idea yet? By now it's clear the landowner is not just some kind hearted gentleman. He is not just a generous boss. He represents the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Friends, Jesus comes to the marketplace of the world. And he sees the weary and he sees the overlooked, and he sees the late comers. And he says, you too, come work in my vineyard. Come find joy and dignity and peace and come find me.
And he offers salvation not based on performance, but based on his mercy.
Do you remember Romans 5, 6, when we were still without strength? In due time, Christ died for the ungodly.
So in our parable, the landowner didn't manage from a distance. He went to the unemployment line himself to rescue some workers.
And God did that, that by becoming a little baby in Bethlehem. And he came to our unemployment line. He says, don't you want to work in my vineyard?
Do you understand this parable? Now I'm going to put a prayer on the board on the screen. Then after the prayer, I've got some application for you, so don't put up your things yet after the prayer. But I want us to pray this prayer out loud together as a confusion confession. Will you humor me and do it?
Just read this out loud along with me. Right now, let's pray. Jesus, thank you for coming into the marketplace when no one else did. Thank you for calling me, hiring me and paying me what I never deserved. Help me celebrate your generosity, not just for me, but for others.
Make me a 5pm worker at heart, grateful to be included at all.
Now for prayer ministry. Today, come be prayed for these three things. What is generosity? After learning this parable number one, we learned that generosity is inconvenient. Look, the next two or three weeks I'm asking our church to grow in generosity.
Which means I'm asking you to inconvenience yourself financially. And I make no apology for doing so.
Generosity is inconvenient takes effort. The landowner didn't delegate the work. He kept showing up himself again and again. He made the rounds personally, not because he needed labor, neighbor, but because he cared about lives. That's the grit behind the grace.
Listen to be a generous believer. We cannot give to the ministry once and satisfy our consciences. True generosity shows up for the church, for the Lord, for the children, for the elders, for those who may not even need anything again and again, even when it disrupts our schedules and pushes us past what's comfortable. It is inconvenient. Are you generous?
Number two. Generosity calculates differently.
It doesn't play by what's fair. The landowner paid everyone the same and it drove the hard workers crazy. Why is that? Because grace gives based on the giver's heart, not the receiver's resume.
You know, Kingdom math always looks upside down to the world. It calculates differently. So listen to me. To be generous to the Lord, the conventional math doesn't have to work out. We have to go.
We have to stop asking can I afford it? And start asking can I afford not to?
It's not about calculating return on investment. It's about trusting that God sees. It's about trusting that God multiplies what we give for his glory. It calculates differently. Do you calculate differently?
Are you generous? And number three, lastly, lastly, generosity, we learn, is costly.
If I haven't hurt you yet, this one will. Let's be real. The landowner lost value on everyone he paid after 6am he didn't get a full day's work or return from the 9 o' clock workers, from the noon workers workers, from the 3pm workers and from the 5 o' clock crew. But he gave them anyway. Because, listen to me, this may be the best line of the day.
Generosity absorbs costs so others can receive grace. My soul. I didn't even get that from a commentary. I got that myself. Let me say that again.
It is so important that you understand that this. If you're trying to figure out whether you're generous. Generosity absorbs cost so others can receive grace.
That's not efficient, but it is extravagant.
Alright, I'm going to hurt you a little bit. Ready? If we give and never feel it in our routines, it wasn't generous. Let me say that again. If we give and never feel it in our routines, it wasn't generous.
Generosity that never costs us convenience or comfort or cash isn't generosity. It's just leftovers and tips, everybody. Okay? Okay.
I want that to trouble you if you're a member of our church for a while. See, I think the outcome of this sermon is going to be seen a few weeks from now. Not today.
So what's your step today? Listen to me. Maybe you need to make that second trip to the marketplace to serve again, to give again, to show up again. Don't hope somebody else will do it. Maybe it's time to trust the Lord with a financial gift to him through your church.
That doesn't add up on paper, but it honors him anyway. And you have to watch this. You have to trust Him.
Or maybe for many of us, generosity has gotten too easy. It's automatic and it's time to feel it again. Do you receive this word? You know what God wants you to do? All right, let's stand and pray.
Prayer ministry team members, if you will come to the front.
We'll pray for anybody about anything thing our prayer ministry. People, look, if you've been thinking about becoming a Christian and you want us to help you, mark that box that says, I'm ready to trust Jesus. If you've been away from the Lord but you're returning and you want to kind of reset, I want to rediscover my faith in Jesus. Mark that one. If you believe but you haven't put the jersey on and joined the team, you need to be baptized.
Mark that box. If you haven't joined our church, I'm not your pastor. This is not your congregation yet. We want you to be a part of our family, Mark. I'm interested in membership.
There's some next steps for everybody in the room to take. Let's pray together. Lord, I pray that the virtue and the truth and the goodness in your parable gets into our hearts and stays there. Don't let the enemy steal it. God raised the generosity quotient of our church.
Multiply it by tens and hundreds. Having heard the truth today, God, make us generous. Let us grow. Help us all, God, financially and in faith.
Lord, we want to be like that generous landowner. This is our prayer in Jesus name and a faithful church said Amen. See you Wednesday night for a small group first Wednesday.
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Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is a family-friendly church in Olive Branch, MS. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.
We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.
At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.
Great Commission Church is a non-denominational, family-friendly Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia. Great Commission Church is conveniently located, making it easy to find and attend. Many people have even called it their go-to “church near me” or the "Church nearby" because of how accessible it is and how quickly it feels like home.
See you Sunday at Great Commission Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi!
