Below are sermons that highlight the interesting connection between the practice of Christian generosity and phenomenon of revival and/or reformation in the church.
Two Men with Money
Timothy J. Keller. Sermon preached at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York, October 21, 2001.
The accounts of Namaan the leper (2 Kings 5:13-19) and Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:5-10) both relate the stories of a wealthy man’s transformational encounter with the gospel. These stories demonstrate two obstacles that can prevent acceptance of the gospel. Namaan’s barrier was pride in his ability and status. Yet Elisha’s instructions to Namaan revealed the leveling nature of God’s grace: Since anyone could wash himself in a river, God essentially told Namaan that no difference between the powerful and the lowly existed in His eyes. Everyone was destitute before Him and in need of His gracious salvation. Namaan, being a high official, had expected a noble task that none but a powerful man could achieve. He almost declined cleansing because of the humiliation of acknowledging that he could do nothing more to deserve his salvation than could a pauper. Zacchaeus’ obstacle was the exclusionism of the self-righteous crowds. Yet Jesus reached out to him anyway and entered his heart. Both Namaan and Zacchaeus’ conversions resulted in joyful generosity and the desire to transform their pre-conversion professions through gospel living. Yet each man developed his own creative strategy for the practical application of those principles. Pastor Timothy Keller encourages others to follow these two biblical examples: First, encounter the gospel; then develop a creative and personalized giving strategy based on an enthusiastic and grateful response to all that Christ has done. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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Grace and Money
Tim Keller. Sermon preached at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York, November 8, 1992.
In a teaching series on the attributes of God, Keller preaches that the character of God’s grace, “if it actually makes an impact on your life, changes your understanding and your use of your money.” Looking at Acts 4:32-37, Keller shows how the Christians’ drastic generosity—generosity of unreasonable proportions—was like an engine that drove a cycle of impact on the surrounding community, leading people to Christ. This resource is available on streaming audio.
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From Our House to God’s House
Jerry Falwell. Sermon preached at Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va., March 3, 2002.
In this sermon outline using Proverbs 3:9-10 and various other texts, the preacher clearly shows that the corporate and individual practice of stewardship always results in revival. In fact, “Revival cannot be experienced in the New Testament Church unless good stewardship is practiced.” How do we become faithful stewards? By giving to God our firstfruits through the tithe.
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Giving and Growing
Gordon MacDonald. Sermon preached at Grace Chapel, Lexington, Mass., n.d.
This sermon uses the story of King Hezekiah and the spiritual awakening of Israel (2 Chronicles 29-31) to teach that revival is marked and sustained by generous giving. Revival, explains pastor and teacher Gordon MacDonald, is marked by three things: celebration, cleansing and generosity. Like the Old Testament Israelites, contemporary Christians should celebrate what our Lord has done for us through a turning away from sin, followed by generous giving in a spirit of thanks. Giving should be done enthusiastically, presenting to God our firstfruits through the tithe. “Celebration. Cleansing. Generosity: It’s the road to revival.”
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